Star Wars (Starring the Doctor) Episode I: The Phantom Menace
by blade0627
Summary: What if the Doctor were part of the Star Wars saga not as any old Jedi, but as its leading member? Join Grand Master Doctor (or maybe just the Doctor) as we see the events of the entire Star Wars saga through his eyes that are old and young at the same time, starting with the return of the Sith. Changes to the saga will take place, but they will come later on. I don't own DW or SW.
1. Doctor Who?

Prologue: Doctor Who?

They called him the Doctor. "Doctor Who?" was a question that often followed. The name meant "healer" and "wise man." And he was a healer. And he was a very wise man, wiser perhaps than any Jedi who ever lived in the history of the Order itself. The Doctor's species, the reclusive Gallifreyans, were a species blessed with longevity, and while the Doctor looked like a young man in his late thirties, he was so old. So very, very old.

In his 900 years of life, the Doctor served as Grand Master of the Jedi Order for 500 of those years, the undisputed leader of the Order and head of the Jedi High Council. Over the many centuries of service that the Doctor had provided, he had trained countless Padawans to Knighthood, and he remembered all of their names. Every last one.

The Doctor served during the Clone Wars and the final days of the Galactic Republic, and he continued to operate in secret during the reign of the Empire, which was headed by the evil Darth Sidious. He was there when the Jedi Order fell to its knees at the hands of the Sith, and he was instrumental in the return of the Jedi and maintaining the Old Order's legacy alongside Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Jennara Oswin.

This is the story of the Doctor during those days, those days when the fate of the balance of the Force itself depended upon his choice.


	2. The Emergence of the Sith

Chapter One: The Emergence of The Sith

The Doctor had called the Jedi High Council together at the request of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. From what he had told the Doctor via hologram transmission, Qui-Gon had two findings of great importance to report to the Council. All he mentioned was that his findings were of dire importance; he gave no indication of what these findings were even remotely about. This, in effect, piqued the Doctor's curiosity, making him wonder just what it was that Qui-Gon deemed so important that he had to immediately report it to the Jedi Council upon his return to Coruscant.

Nevertheless, the Doctor fulfilled Qui-Gon's request, and he now sat in the Grand Master's spot of the High Council chamber in the Jedi Temple, slightly anxious for Qui-Gon's arrival, along with his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi's. While his fellow Council members filed in one by one, he surreptitiously read their thoughts on the matter, or at least the ones who were open to having their thoughts poked at with a stick a few times by the ever-curious Doctor. He was especially intrigued to read his good friend, Mace Windu's opinions on the sudden Council meeting. Unfortunately for the Doctor's curiosity, Mace still hadn't shown up yet. So, the Doctor's mind wandered to other Jedi's thoughts, until he finally rested his mind upon Plo Koon, a Kel Dor Jedi Master who was never very vocal in meetings. The Doctor was not sure why he was reclusive like this, because he always wanted the opinions of his colleagues to weigh into his decisions.

_What trouble has Master Qui-Gon gotten himself into now?_ The Doctor could hear Plo's deep voice inside his own head. _The Doctor seems to think that this is important, so I will trust his judgement. Oh, hello, Doctor. Come to probe my mind, have you?_

The Doctor was caught a bit off-guard by this. He didn't know that Master Koon had a sense of humor underneath the mask of his. The Doctor threw a subtle smirk in Master Koon's direction, while Koon himself nodded ever so slightly in Saesee Tiin's direction. Yet another Jedi who never spoke a word in these Council meetings, The Doctor had observed. Saesee Tiin was an Iktotchi who was often considered a recluse by his colleagues. That didn't stop the Doctor from appointing him to the Council, of course, for the man was strong in the Force and very wise. His opinions, however unspoken, were still valued by the Doctor.

Each of the Council members opinions the Doctor held in high esteem, despite their apparent contribution to these meetings. That was only the kind of Jedi and the kind of man the Doctor was. In all of his 900 years of training and teachings, he had never met one Padawan, one Knight, or one Master alike who was unimportant. Saesee Tiin was no exception. That being said, it didn't mean that the Doctor couldn't have a bit of fun with him. And besides, Masters Tiin and Koon were friends; Saesee would understand. The Doctor mentally nudged Master Tiin across the High Council chamber, hoping for the slightest of reactions. Tiin's facial expression didn't change at all. His face remained as stony as ever, but the Doctor did receive a slight nudge that had the air of an Iktotchi.

_Ah, so you are awake, aren't you?_ The Doctor thought, not expecting anything else from his colleague.

_Master Tiin politely requests that you leave him alone, Doctor,_ Plo Koon's voice echoed in his head. The Doctor shot glances at both Tiin and Koon, while thinking,

_Very well. But just because this is the Jedi High Council doesn't mean that it's always serious business. You are allowed to crack a smile every now and again._ The Doctor would never be sure about this, but he thought he saw the faintest of smirks cross the otherwise expressionless face of Master Saesee Tiin.

However, the Doctor knew when to get serious when the circumstances called for it. Before he could continue his banter with his fellow Council members, Master Qui-Gon and Padawan Obi-Wan came through the doors and approached the center of the Council circle. They bowed to the Doctor and the rest of the Council respectfully.

"Master Doctor, if I may speak," asked Qui-Gon.

"You may speak, Master Qui-Gon," said the Doctor, then adding with a dismissive wave of his hand, "and please, just call me Doctor."

"While on our way to Coruscant, our hyperdrive was damaged," explained Qui-Gon. "We were forced to take refuge on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine." The Doctor nodded, being familiar with the planet.

"I went out to see if I could find the parts necessary to repair the ship, and I resorted to Podracing in order to win the parts," continued Qui-Gon. "The ship was about to take off when I was attacked by an assailant in black robes."

"An assailant, you say?" asked the Doctor curiously.

"Yes, Doctor," said Qui-Gon, radiating a tinge of discomfort at not having called him 'Master Doctor.' "But this was no ordinary assailant. He carried a lightsaber with a crimson blade. He was well-trained in the Jedi arts. I have no doubt that this attacker was a Sith Lord."

The Doctor sensed the skepticism radiating from each and every one of the Council members, and he even felt a little bit of his own. A Sith Lord? Not even the Doctor, being 900, had ever encountered a Sith Lord in his time.

"Impossible!" interjected Ki-Adi-Mundi, a Cerean Jedi known for his sense of judgement. "The Sith have been extinct for a millenium!"

"I don't believe that the Sith could have returned without us knowing," said Mace Windu, the second-most powerful Jedi in the Order next to the Doctor and the youngest Council member in the Order's history. His opinion definitely weighed heavily on the Doctor's decisions.

"Then, if I may ask," Qui-Gon again requested, "who-or what-else attacked us and coincidentally was far too skilled in the Jedi arts to be ignored?"

"Anyone with sword training," offered the Doctor. "It's not that I don't believe you, Qui-Gon. It's just that there hasn't been an encounter between Jedi and Sith in a millenium. The Sith lineage was supposed to have died out with Darth Bane. Are you absolutely certain that this warrior was a Sith?"

"Yes, Mas-Doctor," Qui-Gon assured the Doctor, slightly bowing his head in apology for his slip of the tongue. The Doctor's brow furrowed in silent thought, then he shifted his increasingly intense gaze onto Qui-Gon's Padawan.

"What about you, Obi-Wan?" he asked. Obi-Wan seemed to snap out of a daze when the Doctor spoke to him, as if he wasn't expecting to be even noticed by anyone, especially the Grand Master. He looked up at his teacher, unsure of how to respond. The Doctor could sense the young man's uncertainty and even fear. The feelings of insecurity were lifted when Qui-Gon nodded to Obi-Wan, who began to speak with a bit of a shake in his voice.

"I can't be completely certain, Doctor," said Obi-Wan. "I wasn't with Master Qui-Gon when the warrior attacked him, but I could see their duel. The warrior was as well-trained as Master Qui-Gon described. Afterwards, he was left out of breath. Perhaps only a Sith could leave a Jedi in a state of exhaustion." The Doctor folded his hands, still in thought as Obi-Wan spoke. A beat or two passed when the Doctor spoke again.

"We cannot be entirely sure, but the Council will deliberate the matter. Thank you both for the information." Obi-Wan seemed to think that their time in the Council chamber was done, but Qui-Gon stayed stock still, apparently waiting for the Doctor's approval to continue.

"Master Qui-Gon," the Doctor acknowledged, "I assume you have more to say?"

"With your permission, Doctor," said Qui-Gon. "I have encountered a vergence in the Force."

"A vergence," said Mace, now almost as intrigued as the Doctor. "Located around a person?"

Qui-Gon nodded his head in affirmation before saying, "Yes. A boy. His cells have the highest midi-chlorian count I've seen in a life form. It is my belief that he was conceived by the midi-chlorians themselves." The Doctor sat back in his chair for a moment, thinking harder than ever. This was a radical notion, even for Qui-Gon. To suggest something like that...

"You refer to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force," said the Doctor. Qui-Gon nodded in affirmation.

"You believe it's this boy?" asked Mace, incredulous.

"Yes, Master Windu," said Qui-Gon. "With your permission, I'd like to have him tested."

The Doctor understood almost immediately where he was going with this.

"You want him trained as a Jedi," he said. Qui-Gon started to defend himself, saying that he did not mean to presume anything, but the Doctor interrupted him.

"But you do wish him trained, regardless?" asked the Doctor. "That's okay with me," he turned to Mace, "but it's Master Windu's call to see if he'll even be tested." Mace, as Master of the Order, had the right to refuse the boy's test, but the Doctor could see that he was flip-flopping between his two options. At last, he shook his head in a manner that said that he was probably going to regret it.

"Bring him before us, then," said Mace. Qui-Gon radiated satisfaction as he bowed and exited the Council chamber with a confused and slightly frustrated Obi-Wan. As soon as the doors were sealed shut behind them, the Doctor leaned forward in his chair, preparing for the deliberation about this dark information the Council had just received.

"What do you all think?" he asked contemplatively. "Could there be Sith Lords hiding out in the galaxy?" He looked to all of the Council members in an effort to get them to start a conversation.

"While the Sith have been extinct for quite some time," Master Mundi began reasonably, "a millenium is indeed a decent amount of time for any army to regroup and form a strategy. And Sith are very deceptive and cunning. If anyone could figure out a way to survive for as long as a millenium without anyone, not even a Jedi, noticing, it would be the Sith."

"Good point, Master Mundi!" exclaimed the Doctor. "Anyone else have any thoughts?"

"I heard a rumor that the Sith survived under the Rule of Two: One Master, one apprentice," offered Eeth Koth, a Zabrak Jedi Master.

"The Rule of Two is just a myth," interjected Adi Gallia, a Tholothian Jedi who was the cousin of Stass Allie, a good friend to the Doctor. "A myth intended to scare children off to bed."

"The Sith are cowardly by nature, always seeking to live on, obsessed with immortality," said Quermian Jedi Master Yarael Poof. "The concept of a Sith Lord Master training an apprentice in likeness of a Jedi Master and a Padawan is simply unfeasible. They'd kill each other off over time."

"But it's not entirely out of character for the Sith," Chalactan Master Depa Billaba pointed out. "What's that mantra of theirs? Only the strongest shall rule?"

"She's right," said Lannik Master Even Piell. "It makes sense to just have a continuous line of Sith, each one besting the last, until the two current Sith have enough power to strike at the Republic."

"I still don't think it's possible," Mace Windu interrupted, somewhat frustrated. "Don't you think that anyone of the Republic, especially a High Council of Jedi, would have sensed the beginnings of the reforming of the Sith? How have any of us not sensed their return to the galactic stage?"

"Simple," said the Doctor, standing up from his chair. "They cloaked themselves in the Force, masking their presence until they were nothing, or appeared to be so, at least. Think about it. Some of us do it all the time. Master Poof, surely, understands this logic. You are a master of tricking the mind into believing something else. Surely, you've cloaked yourself in a similar fashion." Yarael Poof simply nodded his head as the Doctor continued, increasingly more excitable as he was on the verge of piecing the given pieces so far together.

"Remember, my friends, from what we have been told and studied, Sith Lords are as knowledgeable of the Force and the power it brings as Jedi are. While they use that power for evil, of course, they carry the same weapons as we all do. They can play mind tricks in likeness of us as well. We cannot underestimate what they are capable of."

"_If _they are even returning," Master Windu commented, still not convinced.

"You bring up a good point, Macey boy," said the Doctor. "There's still the possibility that Qui-Gon ran into any old assailant who just happened to have an old lightsaber. In that case, we can take a course of action that will draw him or her out into the open. Solve the mystery. Do a bit of wibbly-wobbly detective work-"

"Doctor," Ki-Adi-Mundi caught the Doctor's attention in the middle of his excited speech and stated, "with all due respect, you're rambling nonsense again."

"No, it's not nonsense, Master Mundi. It's a plan," said the Doctor. "Fact number one: We need evidence proving the existence of the Sith. Fact number two: Naboo is strangely under invasion by the Trade Federation as we speak." This was true. The mission that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had been sent to do was to bring the invasion to a halt. When that failed, they brought the Queen of Naboo, Queen Amidala, to Coruscant to keep her away from the fighting and to save her from signing a treaty legalizing the invasion. "If we send Jedi to Naboo in the middle of an invasion, the Sith will likely take notice and go there to try and take them out. Only when the Sith play their hand will we know if they truly have come back from the dead."

After hearing the Doctor's plan, many, if not all, of the Council members were nodding and giving their Grand Master expressions of approval. Once again, the wisdom of the Doctor had shown through his unusual quirks. Even Mace Windu was beginning to grasp the possibility of this threat coming back to life. Which conceived a new question in his mind, to which he asked the Doctor,

"And just which Jedi are we intending to send to a planet under invasion?"

"Master Jinn and his Padawan, of course," said the Doctor. "They have the most experience with this invasion and with the possible Sith Lord. Only makes sense that we send them back to Naboo to ascertain the truth. I think this meeting is adjourned now. Good chat, Councilors."

With that, the Doctor sat back down in his chair and rubbed his temples a little in frantic thought as the Council filed out of the chamber doors. After a minute, the Doctor realized that Plo Koon was standing by the door, evidently waiting for the Doctor.

"You seem so sure of the return of the Sith," said Master Koon. "What brought you to that conclusion, if I may ask?"

"It was the look in Qui-Gon's eyes when he spoke," said the Doctor. "It was a look that was often expressed during my days as a Padawan. That look of sheer terror that the older Masters got when the Sith were brought up in conversation. I saw that same sheer terror in Qui-Gon's eyes."


	3. The Chosen One

Chapter Two: The Chosen One

The Doctor had a few hours to kill before the boy Master Qui-Gon mentioned was to be tested in the Council chamber. He decided to spend those hours reading about the history of the Order of the Sith Lords. Jedi Librarian Jocasta Nu would let him into the Restricted Section of the Archives, where that particular document was kept. He had access to everything in the Archives, one of the many privileges he had come to appreciate as Grand Master of the Order.

"Good afternoon, Doctor," she said, pleasantly surprised at his arrival. "Is there something you're looking for?"

"Afternoon, Madame Nu," replied the Doctor. "Yes, I need to access a document in the Restricted Section."

"Of course, Doctor. Right this way."

As he expected, Madame Nu led the Doctor into the Restricted Section, where he found the data chip he was searching for on the history of the Sith. He found a nearby terminal and plugged in the chip and read.

The Doctor skipped through the boring parts about the formation of the Sith and all that nonsense and flipped right down to what was supposed to be the end of their legacy of darkness. The last battle of the New Sith Wars, fought almost a thousand years ago between the Army of Light, led by the Jedi Lord Hoth, and the Brotherhood of Darkness, led by the Sith Lord Kaan.

The Seventh Battle of Ruusan.

The Doctor was not interested in the intricacies of the battle. He only wanted to read about the end. He read the end of that battle over and over again until his head began to hurt a little bit.

At the very end of the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, Lord Kaan and his remaining Sith gathered together for one final stand against the Jedi. Kaan did this by activating the thought bomb, a weapon that targeted Force users. Every single Sith, including Kaan, was believed to have died. Kaan was given the thought bomb by Darth Bane, a Dark Lord of the Sith who was thought to be the Sith'ari, a twisted, dark-side version of the Jedi's own Chosen One. The Doctor remembered reading about the Sith'ari in a book once in passing. The Sith'ari translated to "lord" or "overlord," and it was meant to be a "perfect being"-the ultimate Sith. They even had their own prophecy of the Sith'ari:

_The Sith'ari will be free of limits. The Sith'ari will lead the Sith and destroy them. The Sith'ari will raise the Sith from the dead and make them stronger than before._

Darth Bane had done those first two things. He was a being of great power, and he most likely would have been even more powerful had he survived the thought bomb, which he provided for Kaan, and, in effect, it led to the destruction of the Sith.

But did he fulfill the entire prophecy?

The Doctor racked his brain for nearly an hour trying to figure it out. He kept flipping back and forth in his head. Bane could have survived the thought bomb because he was far more powerful than Kaan and the other Sith in the Brotherhood of Darkness. But the thought bomb targeted Force-users, which obviously included Bane, so he couldn't have survived. But he designed the weapon. He probably made some kind of kink in it that would have allowed him to survive. But he couldn't have survived, because he used the Force and he was well within the blast zone of the bomb when it went off, so he must have died.

The Doctor stood, frustrated at his lack of evidence. And that was just what he needed: evidence. The Doctor suddenly got an idea, although he doubted that some of his fellow Councilors would enjoy it very much. He could-

"I thought I'd find you in here," came a voice from the entrance to the Restricted Section. The Doctor turned to the open door to see that it was Stass Allie who had interrupted his thoughts.

"How did you know I'd be here?" asked the Doctor, bemused by his friend's sudden appearance.

"You're the Doctor," said Stass. "You're always reading about something dangerous, aren't you? Since you're always looking for something dangerous when you're not in a Council meeting or training Padawans."

"Are you saying I look for trouble, Stass Allie?" asked the Doctor, coming off as slightly more flirtatious than he had intended. Stass meandered over to where the Doctor stood.

"I only state the truth, Doctor," she replied, nonchalantly taking glances at the screen to catch what he was reading. The Doctor caught what she was doing and quickly unplugged the chip from the terminal, and used the Force to send it back to where he found it.

"Restricted Section," said the Doctor. "Says so right on the door."

"It can't be all that terrible," Stass said, brushing the Doctor's warning off as nothing. "What could be so dangerous for a Jedi to read, anyway?"

"It's something that is actually very dangerous, if my theory is correct, and I really hope it isn't," said the Doctor. The coy smile on Stass' young face slowly faded and grew serious.

"What is it, Doctor? Is something endangering the Jedi?" she questioned.

"I don't know, Stass," said the Doctor. "I just don't know. I need more evidence. I need to do some wibbly-wobbly detective stuff."

"Do all Gallifreyans speak oddly like you do?" Stass asked, stifling a laugh to herself.

"Not all of us. Just the cool ones," the Doctor said with a wink towards Stass. The Doctor then made his way out of the Archives with Stass right in tow. If anyone had a more curious personality than the Doctor himself, it was Stass Allie.

"So, I assume you're going off to find more about this unknown danger on some big, grand adventure or something along those lines?" she asked excitedly, almost whimsically, as if she wanted to go along and help the Doctor in his detections.

"Well," said the Doctor, "it hasn't been decided by the Council yet, but I plan to go, yes." He was headed to the exit of the Archives as he spoke to Stass at his side, and Stass's eyes lit up with even more excitement as she saw an opportunity to accompany her friend on this journey.

"You wouldn't happen to need assistance in your travels, would you? Of course, if the Council approves, but if they would, perhaps I could join you!" squeaked Stass.

The Doctor's response was immediate, of course.

"I don't think so, Stass," he said. "Unfortunately, if my theory is correct, where I'm going will be very dangerous, even for one as strong in the Force as yourself."

"Oh," said Stass, deflating a bit from her youthful giddiness. "I understand, Doctor."

"It's not that I don't want you around," the Doctor quickly explained. "It's that I'd like to keep you safe. I'd like to keep all of us safe."

Stass, still slightly disappointed, nodded at the Doctor's explanation and continued to match his stride to the exit. Then, abruptly, she stopped and exclaimed,

"I nearly forgot why I was looking for you! My cousin sent me to tell you that it was nearly time for… 'The boy to be tested' or something along those lines."

The Doctor also exclaimed, smacking his head for losing track of time so badly in the Archives. He dashed off towards the Council chamber, calling out to Stass,

"Thanks, Stass! I'll see you later!"

For some odd reason, he sensed Stass's heart soar a little when he made her that promise.

The Doctor wasn't spectacularly late to the test, which was to take place in the Council Chamber. In fact, he was right on time. Those sandshoes of his made running a bit easier, especially the distance from the Archives to the Council Chamber. When he got to the door of the Council chamber, he found Adi Gallia strolling in alongside Eeth Koth and Oppo Rancisis, a snake-like Thisspiasian with a long white beard who was known for his special ability to use Battle Meditation, a skill that few Jedi possessed. Master Gallia noticed him and greeted him with a bow of the head and a smile.

"Hello, Doctor," she said. "I trust my cousin found you, then?"

"She did," said the Doctor. "Just in the nick of time, too. I probably would have missed the meeting entirely, come out of there the next morning, and not even realized it."

"The absent-minded Master, I see." Adi said with a hint of humor in her voice. The Doctor smirked back at her and headed to his head seat. Right before he took his seat, however, he caught a fleeting thought from both Eeth and Oppo that were along the lines of, _Where was the Doctor all of that time anyway? What occupied his time to nearly miss a Council meeting?_

_I was reading about the Seventh Battle of Ruusan_, the Doctor sent this thought to both Eeth and Oppo. _See if I could gather evidence about the Sith._ Eeth and Oppo nodded in understanding to the Doctor as he took his seat. And, as if on a given cue, the Council doors opened for a young boy, who seemed no more than nine years old, which was still very old for being tested just now. He probably had some sort of life before coming to the Jedi Temple, and he would probably miss that life a lot. His demeanor alone was enough to prove this hypothesis; he slowly and hesitantly approached the center of the circle, with his eyes cast down at the floor in what could have been nervousness or sadness. The Doctor decided to alleviate that nervousness or sadness a little.

"Hello," he said to the boy, almost a whisper. "I'm the Doctor. What's your name?"

"Anakin. Anakin Skywalker, sir," the boy politely responded, his own volume no louder than the Doctor's.

"There's no need for 'sir', Anakin," the Doctor said gently. "Just 'Doctor' will do." Young Anakin nodded once, and as if he was eventually gaining enough courage, he slowly raised his blonde head and made full eye contact with the Doctor. He straightened up a little bit as well to his full height of no more than four feet tall. The Doctor smiled at Anakin before continuing.

"This is Master Windu," he said, indicating the Korun Master to his left. "He'll be giving you your test. It's a simple one. Master Windu has a pad with a picture on it. All you need to do is tell him what's on the pad. When you answer, the picture will change into something new, and you'll tell him what that picture is."

"Okay," said Anakin. "I'm ready."

"Good," said the Doctor, anxious to see the ability of the supposed Chosen One. "Let's begin."

The Doctor was not disappointed. As soon as the pad loaded the first image, Anakin was right on the mark.

"Ship," he said. The next image he got immediately as well. "Cup." And the next. "Droid. Blaster. Speeder. Ship. Cup. Speeder. Ship. Droid. Cup. Speeder." Every single answer matched the image as immediately as it was loaded onto the pad. There was not even a nanosecond of hesitation. Anakin instantly knew what it was. Most of the Council members radiated either a skeptic signal or, in the case of a few, like the Doctor, Plo, and Saesee, an impressed signal. But there was still something that the Doctor sensed was off about Anakin.

Anakin was still afraid...No, that wasn't it...He was...sad...lonely...He missed his mother.

"How do you feel, Anakin?" asked the Doctor.

"I'm a little cold, Doctor," said Anakin. The Doctor could sense that the boy was trying to avoid the true intention behind the question. Perhaps he thought talking about how he longed for his mother would show weakness, thus hurting his chances of becoming a Jedi.

"I can see into your heart, Anakin," said the Doctor gently. "We all can."

"We see that your thoughts are dwelling on your mother," said Ki-Adi-Mundi. Young Anakin shifted his eyes to Master Mundi in unexpected surprise, and then shifted back to the Doctor. He wanted so badly to say it, but he just couldn't get the words out.

"It's okay. You can tell us about it," urged the Doctor. Most likely in hopes of not being heard, the boy lowered his head again and quietly admitted,

"I miss her, Doctor."

"And that's okay," said the Doctor. "In fact, that's a bit normal for someone of your age. But you've got to eventually let go of that worry and that fear you have for your mother. Fear is a path to the Dark Side of the Force. Fear leads to anger, anger to hate, hate to suffering. I don't want you to suffer, Anakin."

"Okay, Doctor," said Anakin.

"Thank you, Anakin. Your test is completed. You may go," said the Doctor, motioning toward the door. Once Anakin left the room, the Doctor quickly reflected on what he had sensed about Anakin. As the Council began to speak, it was clear that some members had the same suspicion.

"I sense much darkness in that boy," said Mace Windu, opening the conversation. "His future is...shrouded. With thoughts so powerful with grief for his mother, he is already more susceptible to the Dark Side."

"The boy is very powerful," said Depa Billaba. "But if we bring him in now, what darkness might he already have experienced that will cloud his mind?"

"It is obvious why we should not admit him," said Oppo Rancisis. "The boy may be very strong in the Force, but he's too old. He is far too old."

"I feel that we should not be so harsh on him for his age," Ki-Adi-Mundi interjected, defending the boy. "A handful of Jedi-myself included-were admitted at a late age."

"But you were only four, Master Mundi," countered Oppo. "This boy is nine, almost ten. He is simply far too old."

The Council seemed to erupt in constant argument at that moment. Some favored the boy for his unexpected strength in the Force while others opposed for that same reason, and the consequences that could very well follow because of his age as well as his recent loss. In the midst of the heated debate, one voice rang louder than the rest, and caused the commotion to cease. The Doctor had emerged from his thoughts, stood up, and addressed the entire Council.

"You all make valid points," he began. "It could very well be risky for us to take this boy and train him. Be it his late age or his rather negative thoughts. However, I trust Master Qui-Gon's judgement. This boy feels like he could be the Chosen One, and if we give him some time, I feel like he could be the key to fulfilling the Prophecy."

"But Doctor, we don't even know if the Sith have returned," said Mace. "Is now really a good time to be taking such a potential risk in training this boy to become a Jedi?"

The Doctor took time to think about this statement made by Master Windu. He was right, of course. There was no way of knowing that the Sith had returned. And after his recent readings, he began to fear the worst. But, provided his training would be kept under a careful watch, the Doctor had faith in Master Qui-Gon's teachings. What was more, he found it necessary to put faith in this boy as well.

"It's better to be safe than sorry, Master Windu," answered the Doctor at last. "You all may not agree with me, but I have faith in Anakin." The Doctor didn't know at the time, but that faith he had put in Anakin would spell doom for the Jedi Order as he knew it.

"Very well. We'll vote," said Mace. "All in favor?"

The Doctor, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Plo Koon all nodded their heads in an affirmative vote.

"All opposed?"

Everyone else nodded their heads in a negative vote. The Doctor was not surprised that they would not admit Anakin. He looked into the thoughts of some of the Council members, and they all thought that he was too old. Still, there was nothing to be done about it now.

The Doctor sincerely hoped that this boy Qui-Gon had encountered would not turn on the Jedi and fall to The Dark Side. But mere hope was not enough to prevent the Sith.

* * *

**As promised, a progress report:**

**I: Finished**

**II: Finished**

**CW: In progress**

**III: Not started**

**IV: Not started**

**V: Not started**

**VI: Not started**

**Also, a few things to note about the Doctor himself, at least in this story. If you didn't notice from the summary, we are starting with Number Ten. He will eventually regenerate into Eleven, but I will not say when (spoilers and all). You are, however, more than welcome to PM me with a guess if you wish to do so. Another thing: The Doctor has two lightsabers. His main saber is green, and the hilt is basically Eleven's screwdriver. His second saber is a blue-bladed shoto, the hilt of which is Ten's screwdriver. Additional information regarding the Doctor in this fic will most likely be given out as the story progresses. Also, if you couldn't tell, there will be no Yoda here, as the Doctor is essentially replacing him. That's really all for now. Please feel free to review/favorite at your leisure. Until the next chapter, my friends!**


	4. Draw Out the Attacker

Chapter Three: Draw Out the Attacker

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan returned to the Council chamber with Anakin in the early hours of the Coruscant night. They were there for both the results of Anakin's test and for their next assignment. The test results would be given first. The Doctor didn't want to see the look on Anakin's face when he was denied entry into the Jedi Order.

"We have reached a verdict on the future of Anakin's training," said Mace.

"And?" asked Qui-Gon expectantly. "Will he be trained?"

"No," was Mace's reply. "He will not be trained." The Doctor could sense both Anakin's disappointment and Qui-Gon's frustration.

"No?" asked Qui-Gon indignantly. "Why not? You've seen how powerful he can become."

"He is too old. To train him would be too great of a jeopardy to the Jedi Order," explained Mace.

"But he is the Chosen One," argued Qui-Gon. "You must see it!"

"His future, I will admit, is clouded," said the Doctor, finally bringing himself to speak in front of Anakin and Qui-Gon. "None of us could get a read on him." Qui-Gon then did something fitting to his label as a maverick Jedi.

"Then I will train him. I take Anakin as my Padawan learner," he announced, placing his hands on the young boy's shoulders.

"But, Master Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan is already your Padawan," said the Doctor, although he knew he could not shake Qui-Gon's will. "You can't just take on a second."

"The Code forbids it," Mace agreed.

"Obi-Wan has no more to learn from me," said Qui-Gon. "He is headstrong and has much to learn, but he is very capable. Capable enough to face the Trials."

"I am ready for the Trials," agreed Obi-Wan, who stepped up to stand alongside his Master. The Doctor was leery, to say the least, at this sudden declaration on both Qui-Gon's and Obi-Wan's parts. He couldn't help but wonder if Obi-Wan's sudden readiness for the Trials was at all influenced by Young Anakin Skywalker.

"We will keep our own counsel on who is ready for the Trials," said the Doctor cautiously. "I have no doubt in your abilities, Obi-Wan, but the Force will decide when you are ready."

"Now is not the time for these discussions," said Mace. "You have a new assignment. The Senate plans to elect a new Supreme Chancellor." The Doctor knew this to be true. Queen Amidala had called for a vote of no confidence in Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, and now there were three new candidates for the position of Chancellor: Senator Antilles of Alderaan, Senator Teem of Malastare, and Senator Palpatine of Naboo. The Doctor was fairly certain that Palpatine would be elected, and he would do so by playing the sympathy card due to the invasion.

"Queen Amidala plans to return to Naboo to repel the invasion of her people," Mace continued. "This will put pressure on the Trade Federation and it could widen the confrontation."

"And it could also draw out the Queen's attacker," added Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"You must go with the Queen to Naboo to find out the identity of your assailant," said Mace. "This is the key to figuring out the mystery of the Sith." As soon as Mace was done, the Doctor stood and joined Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin in the center of the chamber, much to the shock of everyone in the chamber.

"And, just to be safe, I'll go with you," said the Doctor. "I'd like to see this dark warrior for myself, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, Doctor. Your expertise is much appreciated," said Qui-Gon graciously, to which the Doctor flashed a quirky smile.

"You okay with this, Macey boy?" asked the Doctor. Mace looked a bit flustered and waved his hand in affirmation, and because he might have been too shocked to say or do anything else.

"Fantastic!" the Doctor exclaimed, already getting excited to go back onto fighting grounds. "Well then, I suppose then this meeting is adjourned. May the Force be with you." He nodded towards the general direction of everyone in the room, dismissing them. As they began to rise and leave, the Doctor turned to Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Anakin and flashed them another quirky smile.

"Well, come on, you lot," said the Doctor. "That's enough standing around for one night! We've got a Sith to catch!"

As the four were headed towards the landing pad with the Queen's ship, the Doctor could sense fear and perhaps even anger behind him, coming from Padawan Kenobi. He decided to pay no mind to it at the moment; he knew that it was centered around his master's sudden declaration of taking on another Padawan, especially one who seemed unfit to be trained by the Council. The Doctor could hear their conversation, and it was getting a bit heated.

"It's not some form of disrespect, Master," said Obi-Wan. "It's the truth."

"But only from your point of view, my young Padawan," countered Qui-Gon.

"The boy is dangerous, Master," Obi-Wan argued. "The Council can all sense it, so why can't you?" Despite his Padawan's shortening temper, Master Qui-Gon kept a level and calm tone.

"I have not met a single Jedi, even the highest Master, with a midi-chlorian level that could even nearly match this boy's. Let me worry about the dangers that could follow him; I am the one willing to train him. They are no concern of yours."

"But, Master-" Obi-Wan tried to explain, but Qui-Gon held up his hand to silence him and interrupted.

"There will be no more discussion of this. His fate is only uncertain, not dangerous. The Council will decide Anakin's fate later. Now, get on board," he said reprimandingly. In a massive amount of frustration, Obi-Wan bowed his head to his Master, and sulked off to the ship ahead of them. The Doctor could understand Obi-Wan's perspective very well, but again, decided to stay out of matters regarding Anakin for the time being. He walked over to Qui-Gon and patted his friend on the shoulder.

"He's a good Padawan," said the Doctor.

"Yes, he is," said Qui-Gon. "But I feel that he does not agree with some of my teachings."

"While he is indeed strong in the Force," the Doctor pointed out, "he is also slightly hard-headed. Then again, so are you, Master Qui-Gon. Even a bit reckless."

"Were you not the same, Doctor? At some point?" The Doctor gave Qui-Gon his signature smirk, with a little bit of a devious glint in his eyes.

"You speak as if my reckless days are in the past. I can assure you that they're not completely gone," the Doctor said, earning a similar smirk from Qui-Gon in response. They were just about to board the ship themselves when they heard young Anakin speak up beside them.

"Master Qui-Gon, sir," said the boy. "I don't want to be some sort of burden."

"No, Anakin, you're not a burden," said Qui-Gon, kneeling down so that he was at eye level with the boy. "The Council won't let me train you, so I want you to watch me very closely. Your focus determines your reality. Stay close to me and the Doctor here, and you'll be safe." Anakin then turned to the Doctor and posed a good question to him.

"Doctor, I heard you talking about midi-chlorians," he said. "What are midi-chlorians?" The Doctor knelt to Anakin in a similar fashion as Qui-Gon.

"Well, Anakin, midi-chlorians are curious little things," explained the Doctor. "To put it simply, they are a microscopic organism that reside within all living cells." Anakin didn't seem to believe the Doctor once he figured out what that meant.

"They live...inside me?" he asked.

"That's correct," said the Doctor. "And we are symbionts with these little organisms."

"Symbionts, Doctor?" Anakin asked again, slightly confused.

"Life forms that work together for a mutual advantage. You see, Anakin, without these little midi-chlorians in all of us, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continuously talk to us. And they tell us the will of the Force. When you quiet your mind, you might be able to hear them talking to you."

"But I don't understand, Doctor," said Anakin.

"You will, Anakin, with time and training," assured Qui-Gon. The Doctor nodded at Qui-Gon's words, deciding against saying anything else. As he hypothesized back in the Council meeting, he was proven correct here: nothing would be able to shake Qui-Gon's will to train this boy. And seeing this sort of dedication from Qui-Gon set the Doctor a bit more at ease, because he knew that even if the Sith were returning, Master Qui-Gon would do everything in his power to prevent young Anakin from falling to the lure of the Dark Side.

The Doctor and Qui-Gon then turned to greet Queen Amidala herself. The Doctor eagerly shook her hand.

"Hello," he said. "I'm the Doctor."

"Ah, yes," said the Queen. "The famous Doctor himself. I am glad to have such noble Jedi warrior protecting me in this dark hour."

"My lady, the Jedi are glad to be back in your service," said Qui-Gon.

"Senator Palpatine believes that the Trade Federation intends to destroy me," mused Amidala.

"I can assure you, my lady," said the Doctor. "That is not going to happen on our watch."

And as the Doctor, Qui-Gon, the Queen, and company entered the ship, the Doctor heard a rather annoying voice call out, "WEESA GOIN' HOOOOOOOME!"

The Doctor hoped that they weren't getting all excited just to find a Sith Lord waiting for them.

* * *

The man who was called Maul was meditating. He was meditating to pass the time between his previous mission and the next mission his Master would give him. He could sense that it was only a short amount of time before his Master would assign this next mission, and he anticipated it with bated breath. Soon, their plan would move into full swing, and he and his Master would stand together, vanquishing the Jedi in one fell swoop. Only one thing needed to be done.

The War. They needed to start the War.

Of course, doing that would be effortless for one as cunning as his Master. And with the foolish Jedi Order not even close to expecting their return, both he and his Master knew that the Jedi's ignorance would be the precursor to their downfall. Maul couldn't wait to smell the burnt flesh of a Jedi who had been cut in half by his blade.

"I see you are centering yourself in the Dark Side, my apprentice," a dark and raspy voice spoke from behind Maul. Maul grinned. His Master had arrived. He rose, walked towards the door of his meditation chamber, and knelt on one knee, head bowed in subjugation, before his Master.

"What is thy bidding, my Master?" he asked expectantly.

"There is a ship traveling to Naboo," the dark voice explained. "In this ship are the two Jedi you encountered in your previous task, as well as the Grand Master of the Jedi Order."

"The Doctor," Maul snarled.

"I expected the Jedi Master and his Padawan to accompany this journey," Maul's Master continued, the twisted delight dripping from his words, "but the foolish Doctor has also fallen for this trap as well. We have the Grand Master right in our hands, my apprentice. And I fully intend for you to annihilate him."

"As you command, Master," said Maul. "I shall save him for last. I will make him watch his friends suffer and die before making him take his last breath." Maul felt his Master's cold hand on his shoulder.

"Come," he commanded of Maul. "Rise and walk with me." Maul did as his Master commanded. His Master's black hooded figure led Maul out of his meditation room and into the corridor, looking over the metropolis below them.

"There is no doubt that this is your greatest task yet, my apprentice," Maul's Master said as he slowly walked along the corridor. "The Doctor is a very skilled Jedi Master. His quick wit is matched by the quickness of his saber, and he is strong in the Force. A compatible opponent for you, indeed. However, he is far too aware of his skill." He stopped to face out at the glass panel, facing the city, humming with life.

"His arrogance has dulled the sharpness of his abilities. As it is with all Jedi. They have been blinded with their own pride. I can assure you that this will be the cause of their defeat."

"We shall see to their end, my Master," said Maul.

"Do you see the creatures below, my apprentice?" his Master asked Maul, gesturing out the panel. "See how they all go about their daily lives with the seemingly blissful ignorance of safety. They believe that the Jedi is a strong unit, and it shall always stand as a pillar of guidance and safekeeping. This pillar of the Jedi Order has stood for far too long. For hundreds upon hundreds of years have the citizens below depended on the column of the Republic. But, what is true about every structure?"

"It must and will crumble eventually, my Master," answered Maul. With this, Maul could hear the sadistic smile beneath the shadowed hood as his Master spoke.

"Good. Very good," he commended Maul. "And the crumbling of this unit will begin as it does with every piece of architecture: the crack in the foundation. You, my apprentice, will begin the crumbling of the Jedi by extinguishing the Doctor, the foundation of the Order."

"I am honored by this task, Master," Maul said. "It will be done."

* * *

**And there you have it! Chapter 3 and a little section with Darth Maul and his mysterious Sith Master. I hope you enjoyed it, and please feel free to review and favorite at your leisure!**

**I want to thank users zejaykay and StoriesUnleashed for their kind reviews. StoriesUnleashed in particular had a few questions/suggestions that I will answer/address here in this Author's Note. First up, the questions.**

**1. Will there be flashbacks/references to the Doctor's past lives? References: Yes. Flashbacks: That's a bit more difficult to answer, but the best answer I can give right now is sort of. Once the context of the story is established, you'll understand what I mean.**

**2. When, if ever, will the Doctor utter his famous phrase "Allons-y?" He actually will say it in Episode II, and he may or may not say it in Episode IV, but I haven't written that far yet, so I don't know for sure whether or not I will want him to say it then.**

**3. Why is the Doctor's species called Gallifreyan instead of Time Lord? I actually debated whether I wanted to call him a Time Lord or a Gallifreyan. I obviously ended up choosing "Gallifreyan" as his species name, and here's why. The Doctor, in this story, is limited to the temporal boundaries of the Star Wars universe, meaning no time travel. Calling him a Time Lord would imply that he can subvert this rule and has presumably done so in the past, which wouldn't really make a whole lot of sense given the previous context I established earlier in that he's unsure of whether or not the Sith still exist. If he could time travel, the Doctor could, at any conceivable point in his life, just go back to the aftermath of the Seventh Battle of Ruusan and kill Darth Bane before he found Darth Zannah, thereby eliminating the Sith for good and changing the entire Star Wars continuity in the process. Basically, I call him Gallifreyan because he is from Gallifrey and I want to keep the story as accurate to Star Wars lore as I possibly can.**

**4. Will there be a TARDIS? As I stated in my incredibly long answer to question 3, the Doctor cannot and does not, at any point in this story, travel through time. As the TARDIS is a time machine at its core, it will most likely not appear in the story. If it does make it in, however, it won't have time-travelling capabilities because, again, the Star Wars universe does not allow time travel.**

**5. Will the Doctor have a sonic screwdriver? As I mentioned in the author's note in the previous chapter, the Doctor's lightsaber hilts are the screwdrivers of Ten and Eleven, so I guess, technically, he has a sonic screwdriver. If you're wondering whether or not he will have an actual, legitimate screwdriver that acts like an actual, legitimate screwdriver, however, the answer is probably not.**

**StoriesUnleashed, you also had a few suggestions that I will address here. You thought that I should have the Master become the Emperor as opposed to Palpatine. While I can't do that because of the whole "keep-the-continuity" thing, I can tell you that I do allude to the Doctor's eternal nemesis when referring to Palpatine at one point in Episode III.**

**You also said I should have a companion be one of the Doctor's Padawans. Way ahead of you on this one. If you remember back to the prologue, I mention a Jedi character called Jennara Oswin. This character is essentially the Star Wars version of Clara Oswald, and she'll be introduced in Episode III. I also make a reference to Rory Williams in Episode II, as well as a reference to Rose Tyler in either Episode I or Episode II; I can't quite remember which. **

**You also said I should give the Doctor some Dark Side powers from his time spent fighting in the Time War. I sort of do this, but not in the way you'd expect. Once more of the story is established, you'll know what I mean.**

**StoriesUnleashed, I hope I answered your questions accurately. If you have more, please feel free to leave them for me in a review or in a private message. Same goes for any readers who have question for me about the story. That's about it for this author's note. Until the next chapter, my friends!**


	5. Infiltration of Theed

Chapter Four: Infiltration of Theed

The Doctor was deep in planning mode. He had been planning a way to get into the Queen's Palace and retake it from the Trade Federation since he, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Queen Amidala, and the rest of their entourage arrived on Naboo. The Queen had sent Jar Jar Binks, an odd life form at best, to find the hidden Gunga City, located in the depths of Naboo's oceans. When he returned, however, it was with bad news.

"Deysa no dare," he said. "Dey all packin' an' left."

"Well, do you know where they might have gone?" asked Panaka, Captain of the Royal Security Force.

"When Gungans in trouble," explained Jar Jar, "they go to sacred place. Follow me."

So, the group of Jedi and Naboo followed the clumsy Gungan to the sacred place that he mentioned. There, they found the leader of the Gungans, a thick Gungan by the name of Boss Nass. At first, he was skeptical of the Naboo, but then a handmaiden of the Queen's named Padme stepped in front of the Queen and began to address Boss Nass.

"Your Honor," said Padme. "I am Queen Amidala."

The Doctor, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Panaka, and the other handmaidens were the only ones not particularly surprised when Padme revealed herself to be the true Queen. Padme went on to explain that the woman posing as the Queen, Sabe, was her bodyguard, a smart move on her part; nobody would suspect the handmaiden when the Queen was in plain sight.

Padme managed to convince Boss Nass to help the Naboo take back their capital city of Theed. She stated that the Gungans were a part of Naboo history, too, and only by working together would they achieve victory.

The Doctor couldn't help but smile brilliantly when Boss Nass shouted his willingness to help them. This was just what they would need to retake the Palace.

Now, Queen Amidala, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, the Doctor, Boss Nass, and R2-D2, a plucky little astromech that seemed to know more than it appeared to, were huddled around a speeder with a hologram of the Royal Palace projected on top of it. Queen Amidala was laying out her battle plans when Anakin came up to her and shouted,

"They're here!" Queen Amidala looked happy to see some more Royal Guards, brought by Panaka, joining her force, but the Doctor sensed something very strange indeed. A quick glance to Qui-Gon told the Doctor that he had sensed it, too.

Padme was joyous to see Anakin. In fact, she radiated happiness. The Doctor fairly assumed that Anakin was introduced to the Queen on his venture from Tatooine. But it appeared that they were on much more friendlier terms simply by the excited way Anakin approached Padme, and especially by the way that she returned the same excitement, if only internally. Under less critical circumstances, the Doctor would have decided to keep an eye on this apparent companionship. However, with a Droid army to distract and a Palace to reclaim, he decided to pay less attention to this strange observation.

"Good!" said Padme. "They'll be of great help!"

"These men and women were part of an underground resistance movement trying to restore the throne," explained Panaka, who had approached the Queen. "I recruited as many of them as they could spare."

"Excellent!" said Queen Amidala. "Let's get started. R2?"

On command, R2-D2 highlighted a route inside the Palace in the form of a red line, culminating in a dot which encompassed the holographic throne room.

"From a back entrance to the Palace, this is a shortcut to the throne room," began Padme. "We can get to there from the hangar bay. Once inside the hangar bay, our pilots will make their way to their fighters and try to take out that Droid Control Ship." The Doctor had noticed the ship upon re-entry of the planet. It was the only ship in orbit, and it was most likely providing a signal to the Droid Army to keep them running.

"Ah, good plan," said the Doctor. "Take out the batteries, and you get a useless tin can."

"Exactly," said Padme. "Meanwhile, we'll be making our way to the throne room. And getting there from the shortcut will be easy. It's getting inside that will be a bit more challenging. He'll likely be surrounded by droids."

"And what if they send any reinforcements?" asked Obi-Wan. "We won't last long against them if they do."

"That's where the Gungans come in," Padme explained. "They'll create a diversion that will hopefully rout any reinforcements the Federation sends."

"It's possible that in this diversion, many Gungans will be killed," Qui-Gon warned.

"He's right," agreed the Doctor. "Are you prepared for that?" He asked this of Boss Nass, who seemed resolute despite the dangers.

"Have'n no fear, Jeedi," said Boss Nass. "Weesa ready to do oursen part."

The Doctor clapped the old Gungan on the back and grinned at him. He admired Boss Nass for his bravery, if not his recklessness.

"Then it's settled," said Padme. "We all know our jobs. We know what we need to do, so let's do it!"

The Doctor separated from the group quickly to nurse a headache that had started to rear its ugly head near the end of the meeting. He sensed something. Some dark presence. He had sensed something similar for a few years now, but he had put the blame on the aftermaths of the Stark Hyperspace War and the Yinchorri Uprising. But maybe there was something far more sinister at work there. He couldn't be sure; that was why he needed to see for himself if this Sith was real. He needed to be absolutely sure.

"Are you all right, Doctor?" asked a voice from behind him. The Doctor turned to see Obi-Wan looking at him with a quizzical expression.

"Yes, Obi-Wan, I'm fine," said the Doctor. "I'm thinking, that's all."

"I see," said Obi-Wan. The Padawan bore a solemn expression on his face, which the Doctor studied for a full minute.

"Are you okay, Obi-Wan?" he asked.

"Yes, Doctor, it's just...I don't know if I'm as ready for the Trials as Master Qui-Gon says I am," said Obi-Wan.

"Well, did you talk to Qui-Gon about it?" asked the Doctor.

"I did, Doctor, and he told me that I will make a good Jedi, but I just don't know if I'm ready for that yet." Obi-Wan slumped down onto the ground and looked out to the field where battle would soon take place. Knowing that his friend was in need, the Doctor sat down next to him.

"Well, you never know when you're ready," consoled the Doctor. "You won't know when you're ready until you're ready. The Force will guide you in time. Who knows? You might even be ready today." Obi-Wan smiled at the Doctor and promptly thanked him for the talk before they stood and joined Qui-Gon and the Queen for final preparations.

At last, it was time for them to begin their attack. The Doctor was excited to finally get to use his lightsabers again, and couldn't wait for the battle to commence. There were two groups of fighters: the Palace group, which consisted of the Jedi, the Queen, Panaka, and even Anakin and R2, who had taken to each other as best of friends, and the outside group, the group who would keep the droids outside the Palace busy.

The Queen flashed blinking lights at the commander of the other group, who responded by the same method. Qui-Gon took this time to bend down to Anakin and give him some words of wisdom before the storm hit.

"Anakin, when we reach the Palace," he instructed, "I want you to find a safe place to hide and stay there."

"Sure," Anakin responded. "I can do that."

"Stay close to either myself, Obi-Wan, or the Doctor," said Qui-Gon. "We'll keep you safe."

"You got it."

While this conversation was going on, the Doctor produced both his main lightsaber and his shoto from beneath his robes and switched the main saber from training mode to combat mode, extending the claws of the hilt outward and extending the hilt itself to a greater length.

Queen Amidala gave the signal to attack, and the battle was on.

The Doctor activated both of his lightsabers and whirled them around his body, deflecting any blaster bolts that came near him. The green blade of his main lightsaber and the shorter, blue blade of his shoto seemed to create a spherical shield around the Doctor; he was deflecting that fast. Qui-Gon's green blade and Obi-Wan's blue were performing similar feats of quickness, and the Queen and her guards blasted at the droids with such accuracy that the Doctor wondered just how old this Queen was, because she looked like she couldn't have been more than fourteen years old.

Regardless, the Doctor, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan defended R2-D2 as he sliced into the controls for the hangar door. Anakin did well by Qui-Gon's instructions and was careful to hide behind one of the Jedi at all times. Bolts whizzed toward the Doctor and were deflected just as quickly, each one hitting their mark. But the droids just kept coming. The Doctor was starting to believe that the Federation had an infinite supply when R2-D2 successfully hacked his way into the door. Leaving the second group of guards to deal with the remaining droids, the guards, Queen, and Jedi all rushed into the door and found themselves in the hangar bay, and in the company of at least five dozen battle droids, all of which began firing on the group. The Doctor's sabers parried shots and sliced through enemy wires as he and his companions fought their way through the droid forces in the hangar.

Amidst the fighting, the Doctor heard Qui-Gon call out to Anakin.

"Find some cover!" he shouted. Anakin did so, and the Doctor sensed that he had found the cockpit an extra N-1 starfighter to hide in. This must have reminded Padme of the plans for the pilots who were following her group.

"Get to your ships!" she ordered. The pilots who weren't shot down by droids scrambled to their respective fighters and given their astromech droids. They were taking off to try to take out the Droid Control Ship. The Doctor knew the dangers of space combat, and silently saluted them for their daring bravery.

By the time the last of the pilots took off, the droids in the hangar had all been scrapped by the Jedi or the Naboo. The Doctor had counted the number of droids he had destroyed, and totaled about fifteen droids destroyed by his furious saber skills.

The Doctor deactivated his lightsabers, but kept them drawn, just in case the mysterious warrior happened to show up. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, however, clipped their sabers back onto their belts, apparently not feeling the darkness in their general vicinity. Panaka was issuing orders for the remaining guards to form up as they proceeded towards the shortcut. Suddenly, a small voice was heard.

"Hey!" Anakin called out. "Wait for me!"

"Anakin, stay in that cockpit," commanded Qui-Gon. "You'll be safe there."

"But I-" protested Anakin.

"Anakin, do as Qui-Gon says," said the Doctor. "Stay there."

The Doctor, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan were following just behind the Naboo. They were heading towards the door when it mysteriously opened, revealing a man in black robes. The man looked like a demon who had come from the land of the dead to seek his vengeance. He raised his head at the Jedi, as if he were expecting their arrival. The Doctor tried to get a read on the man when he got a sudden ache in his head. He realized that this man had been part of the darkness plaguing his mind for years.

The Doctor then realized something even more horrifying: This man was a Sith Lord.

* * *

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUN! So, kind of a short chapter, but it's an important lead-in. That's because they finally meet Darth Maul at last! The Doctor, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Maul are going to duke it out in the next few chapters, and it will be awesome!**

**In other news, I believe a progress report is due:**

**I: Finished**

**II: Finished**

**CW: In progress**

**III: Not started**

**IV: Not started**

**V: Not started**

**VI: Not started**

**While it may seem like I'm not getting anything done, because this progress report is the same as the last one, I'm actually only a few chapters away from finishing the Clone Wars, then it's on to Episode III. We're moving along quite nicely here, and I'm happy with the progress I've been making! I expect to have the Clone Wars done by sometime next week. I'm going to shoot for Monday, but no promises. Regardless of whether or not it's done by Monday, I'll update my profile once I do actually finish it, so if you visit my profile, you'll have an idea of where I am in the story. Anyway, that's all for this little author's note. Until the next chapter, my friends!**


	6. Duel of the Fates

Chapter Five: Duel of the Fates

The three Jedi, Padme and the rest of the group all stood before the mysterious figure, unsure of how to react. However, a general consensus was met without saying a word; he was a dangerous obstacle in their way. The Doctor, realizing the most danger of this man as a Sith Lord, began to step forward as he said to Padme without taking his eyes off of the man,

"We'll handle this." He then nodded for Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to join him.

"We'll take the long way, Doctor," Padme replied, as she and the rest of the group split off towards the Palace, leaving only the Doctor, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in the hanger, facing the Sith, preparing to fight by removing their outer robes.

The Sith glared at them with evil yellow eyes as he removed his hood and robes from his body, revealing a horned head and looking even more like a demon. While he was glaring at all three of the Jedi, it seemed that his gaze was targeted especially on the Doctor. As the Sith drew out his own lightsaber, the Doctor could tell right away that even though he had no idea who this man was, this was going to be a personal fight. There was something more to his stance than hatred and evil, he sensed. It seemed as if the Doctor was this Sith's...main objective, in a way. As if his entire demeanor wasn't intimidating enough, the Sith activated his saber, the crimson red blade streaking out of his hilt. And then, another blade extended from the other end of the hilt.

The Sith had a double-bladed lightsaber.

In simultaneous response, the Doctor activated both of his sabers as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan did the same, grounding themselves and anticipating the Sith to make the first advance. With an animalistic snarl, the Sith then spun his lightsaber around his body as Obi-Wan made the first strike of the trio of Jedi.

The Sith easily blocked the strike made at him by Obi-Wan from behind, then proceeded to engage in a furious and fast duel with all three Jedi at once. The Sith's sabers moved like a blur through the air, parrying and striking all at the same time. It was madness, and the Sith was at the center of the chaos.

The Doctor could hear laser blasts in the room, and he decided to catch a quick glance aside from his own battle. He found Queen Amidala, Captain Panaka, and the Royal Guards stuck in a firefight with three droidekas, dangerous battle droids with shield generators and blasters for arms. He could also just make out Anakin sitting in his N-1 fighter, looking a bit helpless as he viewed both battles simultaneously. The Doctor felt a flash of pity for the boy, but this distraction was just enough time for the Sith to knock the Doctor off his feet with a swift kick to his core.

Cursing himself for getting so distracted, the Doctor quickly jumped up, just in time to see the Sith land a kick to Qui-Gon as well, knocking him down and forcing Obi-Wan to face the Sith alone for a short while. The Sith realized that he was cornered by both the Doctor and Obi-Wan, so he used the Force to hurl a small metal box at the controls to the door behind him. The controls were crushed, causing sparks to fly and the door behind him to automatically open, allowing him to retreat further back from Obi-Wan and the Doctor's attacks. As the Doctor was blocking one of the Sith's blades, the Sith attempted to quickly hit Obi-Wan with the other side of his saber. Luckily, Qui-Gon sprinted over to block the Sith's other blade from hitting his Padawan.

The three Jedi were once again swinging at the Sith, and from what the Doctor could tell, it was becoming slightly difficult for the man to hold off all three of them at once. Luckily for the Sith, Obi-Wan left a miniscule opening in his defenses, allowing the Sith to take advantage and land a kick right to Obi-Wan's jaw. The force was enough to send Obi-Wan flying back onto the ground on his back. Qui-Gon and the Doctor pushed the Sith back even further, and though it seemed like the man was focusing on all three combatants, his gaze almost never left the Doctor. Deciding to humor this Sith's fixation on him, the Doctor shouted to Qui-Gon over the sounds of the clashing sabers,

"Go check Obi-Wan! I can handle him for now!"

Qui-Gon quickly pushed the Sith back and dashed to Obi-Wan, still on the ground. The Doctor was blocking the Sith's blades with his own, and the Sith himself snarled once again, this time with a glint of sadistic delight in his eyes.

_So, this Sith is really after just me, if not all three of us, _the Doctor thought to himself as he met his opponent's gleaming yellow eyes over their clashing sabers. _Well, if it's me that he wants, it's me that he's going to get!_

The Doctor lashed out at the Sith, forcing him back near a seemingly endless series of narrow bridges, punctuated by the occasional beam of light shooting up into the ceiling. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan quickly flanked the Doctor as the three of them faced off against the Sith Lord in a spectacularly fateful duel. With the sudden power of all three Jedi once again against the Sith, he automatically backed up onto the edge of a platform, a few feet away from the first narrow bridge. He took a quick glance behind him to see that there was only a hundred-foot-long drop behind him, so he stopped and glared again at the three Jedi. They had also stopped to watch the Sith Lord, anticipating his next move for a brief moment.

It was in this moment that the Sith Lord actually broke his seemingly constant gaze on the Doctor to look Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan dead in the eyes as well. The Doctor could tell that gears were turning in the Sith's head, and he was mapping out a new strategy. The Doctor had a feeling that he would try to take out Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan first before concentrating all of his efforts on the Doctor himself. The Doctor also had a feeling that the Sith would want to take out Qui-Gon first, seeing as how Qui-Gon was the Master, not Obi-Wan. But, just because that the Sith was forming this new strategy did not mean that the Doctor would allow him to carry it out. Neither would Obi-Wan, nor Qui-Gon.

Obi-Wan broke the intense stares between the Sith and the Jedi by faking an offensive swing to the Sith Lord. Qui-Gon took his Padawan's distractive technique as an opportunity to strike at the Sith, forcing the Sith to flip over the gap to the bridge, barely landing on the edge. The Jedi then followed suit, all three of them jumping to the bridge at the same time. The Sith looked perplexed for a moment, before pulling a feat thought impossible by most: he blocked four lightsaber strikes at once. All three Jedi had struck at him, but the Sith Lord managed to find just the right blade angle to counter all four lightsaber blades before breaking off and staring the Jedi down intensely.

The Sith began to back away, seemingly afraid of facing three Jedi at once. Qui-Gon then jumped behind the Sith Lord, similarly to his Padawan at the beginning of their duel. Knowing Master Qui-Gon was more than capable of holding his ground, the Doctor sided with Obi-Wan on the opposite side of the Sith. The Sith, now surrounded by all three Jedi, continued to block the offensive attacks, all while seeming to devise some kind of distraction to break away from them. As the Doctor continued to pound at the Sith, he noticed that the Sith's demonic face had obtained a look of concentration. There was a devious plan formulating in his head. The only question remaining was the question of the plan itself.

Before the Doctor could decipher exactly what the Sith was planning, it was already in action. The Sith was definitely on the defensive, but he was doing something strange. He was actually moving away from the Doctor and Obi-Wan, towards Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon was a master of Form IV, Ataru, which used wide strikes and was constantly on the offensive in any fight. Since the Sith was moving towards him, Qui-Gon couldn't use the wide strikes of Ataru to take him down. In effect, the Sith could essentially lead the three Jedi wherever he wanted.

The Doctor didn't pick up on this until it was too late. The Sith had led them near one of the beams of energy that shot up from the floor to the ceiling, making it even more detrimental to watch their footing on the narrow bridge, miles above what seemed like a never ending drop. Obi-Wan swung down on the Sith's blade, which slightly distracted the Sith's movements toward Qui-Gon. The Sith was resisting Obi-Wan's strike, both sabers blocked and immobile. The Doctor could move in for the kill right then and there. But, unfortunately, seeing Obi-Wan's concentration on the his saber and not his opponent himself, the Sith Lord once again kicked Obi-Wan in the head, causing him to lose his concentration-and also lose his balance. Unable to recover from the blow to his head, Obi-Wan dropped his lightsaber, stumbled backwards one step too far and fell off of the levitating bridge.

The Doctor's kill-strike was then blocked by the Sith's now-free second blade. Qui-Gon adopted an expression of anger and backhanded the Sith right in the face. The Doctor knew where that expression came from. Years ago, he took on an apprentice called Xanatos, who later turned to the Dark Side. Qui-Gon was forced to kill him, and he never felt comfortable with the idea of an apprentice until Obi-Wan came along. Obi-Wan was almost going to be put in the Jedi Service Corps until Qui-Gon decided to take him on as an apprentice when he was thirteen.

Seeing another apprentice of his killed would destroy Qui-Gon. The Doctor had to make sure that Obi-Wan was okay. He jumped down to where he remembered Obi-Wan fell. The Doctor landed on a lower bridge to see Obi-Wan's lightsaber on the bridge, but Obi-Wan was nowhere in sight. He began to slightly panic until he looked down again and saw Obi-Wan, hanging onto the ledge of the bridge for dear life.

"Little help here, Doctor?" asked Obi-Wan. Laughing at the Padawan's ability to keep his sense of humor, as well as laughing out of relief that Qui-Gon's apprentice was still alive, the Doctor grabbed Obi-Wan's hand and hoisted him onto his feet, giving his lightsaber to him with a Force pull.

"This weapon is your life," said the Doctor. "Now, let's take our lives and use them to save Qui-Gon's, eh?"

Obi-Wan nodded to the Doctor, then looked up at the higher bridges. The Doctor followed Obi-Wan's line of sight to see the Sith Lord and Qui-Gon were fighting as viciously as ever. However, it seemed that they weren't on as high of a level as Obi-Wan and the Doctor had fallen from. The Doctor deduced that Qui-Gon's backhand to the Sith might've caused him to topple over onto a lower bridge as well. But the Doctor also noticed what had been going on before: the Sith was continuing to lead Qui-Gon off of the bridge and into a hallway with ray-shielded barriers. Obi-Wan and the Doctor both quickly jumped up to Qui-Gon's bridge and activated their lightsabers before sprinting toward Qui-Gon and the Sith, their duel still furiously raging on.

The shield doors turned off, allowing the Sith and Qui-Gon to walk through the hallway without being harmed. _By leading Qui-Gon into that hallway, _the Doctor thought has he sprinted across the bridge, _the Sith is isolating him from us. He must be planning on picking us off one by one, with the blockage of those shields all along the hallway. We have to get to him, fast!_

"Come on, Obi-Wan!" shouted the Doctor as they approached the shield doors. As soon as the Doctor and Obi-Wan were no less than thirty feet away from the entrance to the hallway, the shield doors began to reactivate. In a ripple effect, the doors one by one closed, and the Doctor and Obi-Wan were forced to skid to a stop right in front of the last door as it activated. They both deactivated their sabers; all they could do now was wait for them to reopen.

The Doctor looked into the hallway to detect what was going on. There was no combat at the moment-both Qui-Gon's and the Sith's lightsabers had been deactivated- so he assumed that they had been separated by one of the shield doors. The Sith was slowly and menacingly pacing in front of Qui-Gon, like a panther patiently waiting for the right moment to strike at his prey. However, the Doctor saw Qui-Gon do quite the opposite. He knelt down to the ground and began to meditate. Calm energy flowed through him as he sat there, breathing deeply and slowly.

"What is he doing, Doctor?" Obi-Wan asked, obviously itching to continue the battle. "Why isn't Master Qui-Gon facing him? He's not going to be ready when the doors deactivate, and the Sith'll kill him right then and there!"

"Patience, Obi-Wan," said the Doctor gently. "Your Master knows what he's doing. Centering himself with the Force will be more beneficial than simply staring down the enemy. Have patience."

"Yes, Doctor," said Obi-Wan, a little irritated that he couldn't help his Master fight off the imposing Sith Lord. The tension and anticipation thickened in the air around all four of them, all dependent on the shield doors' deactivation. The few seconds that passed seemed like prolonged minutes and hours to the Doctor, watching the doors carefully and listening to a change in the constant hum of the shield to indicate their opening. When they deactivated, he would be ready.

He activated his lightsabers in preparation, and immediately after Obi-Wan followed suit, the shield doors deactivated, starting at the end of the hallway. Qui-Gon shot up and attacked the Sith Lord as the last of the doors deactivated. The Doctor and Obi-Wan sprinted through the hallway and the Doctor could feel excitement pouring through Obi-Wan as they reached the end of the hallway...

...and were stopped by the very last shield door.

The Doctor cursed in frustration. They were so close. Now, they had to wait again for the shields to collapse. Meanwhile, they had left Qui-Gon alone with the Sith Lord. Qui-Gon was one of the best swordsmen in the Order, but he was getting older. The Sith looked to be in his mid-twenties, and in peak physical condition. They nearly met one another's combat skills equally. However, it seemed by this leg of the duel, Qui-Gon was now on the defense, blocking the Sith's rapid attacks with both of his blades. The fact that the narrow walkway around this melting pit in which they were now fighting was restricting Qui-Gon's Ataru abilities didn't seem to help, either.

Obi-Wan seemed to sense his Master's slight struggle to keep blocking the Sith. His grip on his saber tightened to the point of his knuckles turning white. He watched the two intently, as if he could somehow strengthen Qui-Gon if he stared enough at the ongoing duel. Qui-Gon did his best to fend off the Sith for a few more minutes, but he was tired, and the Sith was fast. And that was when the unthinkable happened.

The Sith Lord blocked an overhead strike from Qui-Gon and used his wide lightsaber hilt to smack Qui-Gon in the jaw. In mere milliseconds, he had spun around and impaled his lightsaber blade through the stomach of Qui-Gon Jinn.

* * *

**Uh-oh! Darth Maul just stabbed Qui-Gon! Well, we all saw it coming, really. I mean, it's in the movie that Qui-Gon Jinn gets stabbed and killed, and that sucks. Majorly. Anyway, progress report, as promised.**

**I: Finished**

**II: Finished**

**CW: Finished**

**III: In progress**

**IV: Not started**

**V: Not started**

**VI: Not started**

**YAY! I finished the Clone Wars! I legitimately spent, like, twelve hours on Saturday writing the rest of the Clone Wars, so that was fun. *eye twitches* Anyway, so I'm about to start working Revenge of the Sith, where we get introduced to not one, but two main characters who will play a pretty big role in the rest of the saga. One comes in the middle, and the other comes right at the end. I've got the chapters outlined and ready to go. Just gotta do it.**

**I would like to thank user StoriesUnleashed for leaving another kind review in the last chapter. StoriesUnleashed had some more questions pertaining to the story, and I will endeavor to answer them here as best I can.**

**1. Will there be any more Gallifreyans besides the Doctor? No. There's a section in Episode II that states that the Doctor is the only Gallifreyan left in existence. No Master. No Rani. No Corsair. They're all dead, with the exception of the Doctor.**

**2. Is Gallifrey still around or trapped in another dimension like in the show? Again, I'm going to have to say no. This version of the Time War ended up getting so bad that Gallifrey was just completely ripped apart. It doesn't exist at all.**

**3. Will the Doctor fall in love with a Star Wars character? Yes.**

**4. Will any of the Doctor's enemies make an appearance in the story? Sort of. They don't make a direct appearance, but I do mention some of them on occasion. I know for a fact that I mention the Daleks, but I believe I also mention the Autons and the Zygons. I'm not entirely sure of that, however.**

**5. Will there be any aliens from Doctor Who? Again, I'll only mention them in passing, although I may or may not mention Vastra directly in Episode III. I haven't decided yet.**

**StoriesUnleashed also asked if I could make a story centered around the upcoming show, Star Wars: Rebels, wherein the Doctor helps out the central characters and gives them hope in a time where hope is not too abundant. At this point, I'm going to have to say no to that, only because the show hasn't been released yet, and I don't exactly know what it will be like. I will, however, have the Doctor screw around with Imperials on occasion as the Rebellion gains momentum, though he will not be directly involved with the Rebellion until Episode IV. He will give the Rebels hope with his actions that the Jedi are still around and are still ready to defend against the Empire.**


	7. A Padawan's Anger

Chapter Six: A Padawan's Anger

The Doctor gaped in shock as Obi-Wan let out a horrified scream of agony.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Both he and the Doctor watched in anguish as the Sith pulled his blade out of Qui-Gon and the Jedi Master sank to his knees and fell to the ground, mortally wounded, but not immediately dead.

Obi-Wan helplessly looked at his Master, dying on the ground. And in a matter of seconds, his expression changed from despair to pure hatred directed towards the Sith Lord, who was now pacing in front of the shield door before him, as he did before Qui-Gon. The Sith smiled smugly at Obi-Wan and the Doctor before saying just one thing.

"I hope you two present more of a challenge than he did," said the Sith, his voice a quiet whisper in the dark. "He disappointed me."

The Doctor could sense every word from the Sith boiling Obi-Wan's blood more and more. His breaths were short, in absolute anger, and he was slightly bouncing on the balls of his feet. The Doctor feared that the Padawan's rage would blind him of his training, which was far too risky, especially against a combatant of such high caliber. The Doctor knew that Obi-Wan stood little chance against the Sith Lord without his help, so he tried to calm him down by mentally nudging him.

_It's okay, Obi-Wan,_ he thought to Obi-Wan. _You can't let your anger get the better of you._

_I'll try, Doctor, _Obi-Wan half-heartedly thought back to the Doctor.

_No, _said the Doctor. _Do or do not. There is no try. _

_Yes, Doctor._

The Doctor glanced back at Qui-Gon, who was still slightly moving in pain.

_If we defeat this Sith quick enough, _the Doctor added, _there may be a slight chance of saving Qui-Gon._ It seemed that this thought was enough to make Obi-Wan forget the Doctor's previous words of wisdom and to cause his anger to take over his reasoning.

_Then I'll just have to finish what my Master started! _Obi-Wan thought, more to himself than to the Doctor. He activated his saber, the Sith followed suit, and as if on cue, the shield was cut off again and Obi-Wan furiously charged forward to the expectant Sith Lord.

The Doctor was left behind in Obi-Wan's dust and watched their duel as it continued furiously through the chamber. He contemplated running into the duel with Obi-Wan, but he realized something odd while observing; Obi-Wan's anger did the exact opposite of blind his combat skill. If anything, it heightened his reflexes, making his defensive blocks quicker and more accurate. Seeing that the Padawan did stand a chance against the Sith for a little while, the Doctor ran over to Qui-Gon to check his vital signs. Qui-Gon's eyes looked glazed over. He was fading already.

"Doctor," he whispered. "The boy...is the Chosen One."

"You mean Anakin?" the Doctor questioned, focusing more on how to revive Qui-Gon than listening to his words about the Skywalker boy.

"Yes, Doctor," said Qui-Gon. The Doctor was beginning to find that there were no ways to save Qui-Gon, but he refused to accept that fact, and also refuse to accept the tone of finality in Qui-Gon's words.

"Don't talk like that, Qui-Gon!" the Doctor said sternly. "You still have Obi-Wan to finish training before you can even think about taking on Anakin, especially if he's as powerful as you say he is."

"But I don't need to finish Obi-Wan's training, do I, Doctor?" asked Qui-Gon. "I'm dying. I can feel the Force calling to me. And Obi-Wan is ready."

The Doctor saw sparks flying out of the corner of his eye. He quickly turned and saw the Sith on his back, his lightsaber split in two. He was only now holding a single-bladed saber. Obi-Wan must've sliced it while they were fighting. That got the Doctor thinking. Maybe Qui-Gon was right. Maybe Obi-Wan was ready.

Yes. He could see it. This was a perfect, if unorthodox, way to view Obi-Wan's Trials of Knighthood. It took immense amounts of courage to face an opponent as skilled as this, especially when the impending title of "Sith Lord" was involved. Should he win, it would prove his skill with a blade. It could also prove that he could see through the Sith Lord's deceptive tactics, passing his Trial of Insight. And, of course, Qui-Gon's death would be both a Trial of the Flesh, testing his ability to overcome great pain, and a Trial of Spirit, testing his ability to conquer his innermost struggles, like the imminent death of his Master.

"He will be Knighted," the Doctor said to Qui-Gon. "I promise."

"Thank you...Doctor," said Qui-Gon.

"You've taught him well, Master Qui-Gon. In the Force and with a lightsaber," the Doctor added, looking up again at Obi-Wan fighting the Sith. The battle was still extremely intense, both of them equally offensive and defensive. The Sith blocked an attack of Obi-Wan's and attempted to knock him off of his feet by kicking him yet again. But Obi-Wan was catching onto the Sith's tricks. Instead of falling to the ground when kicked, Obi-Wan flipped backwards, landing on his feet and going right back into combat. The Doctor could even see bits and pieces of Qui-Gon's own persistence in Obi-Wan's fighting skills. Obi-Wan, having a smaller frame than Qui-Gon, was able to utilize his own style of Ataru to a better advantage.

"He will be...a good teacher," Qui-Gon managed to say, fading away even more as the seconds passed. The Doctor nodded his head in agreement. Obi-Wan would make a very good Jedi Knight indeed. "And I know...he will lead the boy...to become a powerful Jedi."

"What was that?" the Doctor asked, not sure if he heard Qui-Gon right on that last phrase. "You're suggesting that Obi-Wan-"

The Doctor didn't finish his question because he no longer heard the clash of dueling lightsabers. He looked up in just enough time to see that Obi-Wan was mere steps away from the melting pit in the center of the room, with the Sith Lord facing him. The Sith must have pushed Obi-Wan back with a deflection, the Doctor figured. But before the Doctor could intercept, the Sith used the Force to push Obi-Wan backwards, off of his feet...and into the pit.

"OBI-WAN!" the Doctor shouted. He watched in complete horror as the Sith nonchalantly walked over to Obi-Wan's lightsaber, which was dropped on the ground, and simply kicked it into the pit along with Obi-Wan. As painful as it was to admit, the Doctor knew there was no point in going down after Obi-Wan. The drop was too far to pull him up with the Force, and going after him would just mean death for himself as well. Both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were done for. The Doctor was beginning to feel a sliver of hopelessness. He began to fear that he had underestimated this unexpected return of the Sith.

"Doctor…" Qui-Gon asked, slightly lifting his head to try and see what had happened.

"It's okay, Qui-Gon," the Doctor lied. "Obi-Wan's fine. He's just fine." The Doctor slowly stood and activated his lightsabers, raising them in a defensive position.

"Now," said the Sith menacingly. "On to the Doctor."

* * *

**So, this chapter's kinda short, but, then again, it's a pretty short fight in the movie. I feel as though it's a bit too short, and you guys had to wait a little longer than usual for this one, so I'll post the next chapter sometime tomorrow afternoon. Many thanks for the reviews and follows I've been getting. If you have any questions about the story, feel free to ask. I love answering your questions, and I will endeavor to answer them as well as I can without giving away any major spoilers or anything. Until the next chapter, my friends!**


	8. The Doctor vs the Demon

Chapter Seven: The Doctor vs. The Demon

The Doctor stared down the Sith Lord as the Sith raised the remaining half of his lightsaber to attack the Doctor. He had been more concerned on the overall battle and his friends' welfare until this point. Now, the Doctor was forced to focus in on everything about this Sith's techniques, and how to outsmart and defeat them. After a vicious expression shot in the Doctor's direction, the Sith charged forward, jumping over Qui-Gon's nearly lifeless body, and swung overhead at the Doctor. The Doctor dropped into a Djem So defense stance, and easily parried the blow. The Doctor decided to keep employing a Djem So defense and mix it with Jar'Kai just to shake things up a little with the Sith. At least, until he could find a weakness.

As he continued to block the Sith's blows, the Doctor almost instantly recognized his opponent's form as Juyo. The Doctor himself had learned the seventh form of lightsaber combat a while ago, but he never employed it anymore; he was a completely different man when he did learn it. He preferred the intricacies and acrobatics of Ataru mixed with the defense capabilities of Djem So. It had served him well in the past, and it was serving him well now, as the Doctor continued to block the Sith's frantic and aggressive attacks. And the more the Doctor deflected, the more aggressive the Sith's techniques became. Their battle was turning into a huge flurry of chaotic motion, as the Sith was clearly attempting to confuse the Doctor so his defenses would fall. Whatever targetting that the Doctor predicted when he first saw this Sith Lord was now confirmed just by seeing how viciously he was being attacked by the Sith. It was even to the point of the Sith Lord swinging at the Doctor's head or legs, to which the Doctor would have to quickly duck or jump to avoid losing a limb-or a head, for that matter.

The Sith was ferociously gritting his teeth as he set loose all of his skills on the Doctor. The lightsaber techniques of the Sith Lord were flawless. He could barely find a single opening; when he did, the Sith immediately closed it before the Doctor could do a thing about it. It was nearly impenetrable, until the Sith left one opening sitting for too long. The Doctor struck at the Sith Lord's exposed leg and it was all the Sith could do to jump out of the way in time. The Sith Lord looked at the Doctor in fear and...something else...admiration.

"You are a skilled warrior, Doctor," said the Sith. "But I will defeat you. The Sith will rise again and conquer this galaxy, and you will be the first of many victims to fall to my blade and my Master's."

The Doctor continued to strike at the Sith, recognizing his opponent's words as an obvious application of Dun Möch, another combat technique which involved words to strike at an opponent's inner doubts and fears. The Sith must have assumed...or maybe it wasn't such an assumption...that the Doctor was beginning to worry about the battle and the fate of his friends. Despite the possible truths of this, the Doctor would not listen to him.

"The old man and his pathetic Padawan are both dead by my blade, and you will soon follow. Your death will hail the reign of the glorious Empire of the Sith, and nothing can stop it."

And in that moment, the Doctor realized his opponent's one weakness. He was overconfident. Whether it was the doing of his Master inflating his ego, or his own nature; the Sith was far too sure that he was already the victor of this duel. The Doctor and the Sith kept fighting, as the Doctor became more offensive than defensive. He wasn't only determined to finish off the Sith; he was just growing tired of hearing his egotistical talk. It had no effect on his combat skills because he had learned to become impervious to jeers and jabs during duels like this. He knew the words meant nothing, that they were only a technique. Of course, the Sith could probably sense a slight agitation from him at the insults towards his friends. The Doctor put a bit more power behind his swings, in vengeance for his fallen friends. But, in that moment, as he was resisting another overhead swing from the Sith and took a quick glance down into the melting pit, that was when he saw it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi, dangling inside the pit itself, a small handle the only thing separating him from certain doom. Although the Doctor was ecstatic that the Padawan was still alive, he did not allow anything in his expression or stance to reflect his excitement. The Doctor glanced down once more at Obi-Wan to see him looking up over the brim of the pit, in Qui-Gon's direction.

"There's nothing you can do to save your fellow Jedi, Doctor," the Sith Lord sneered mockingly at the Doctor, assuming that the Doctor was looking at the pit in remorse over Obi-Wan. But, in fact, the Doctor was watching Obi-Wan form a plan. The Doctor knew that he wasn't looking at Qui-Gon; he was looking at Qui-Gon's lightsaber. He was trying to use the Force to inch it towards him little by little. The Doctor mentally nudged Obi-Wan.

_Need help there?_ he thought.

_Just a little, _thought Obi-Wan. _Do you think you could lead him over to me?_

_Absolutely, Obi-Wan_.

The Doctor saw that he only needed to lead the Sith a few steps forward for Obi-Wan to jump up and attack. He also figured that if this Sith Lord wanted to play dirty, why not use his own methods against him?

"If you think nothing can stop your little Empire from rising," the Doctor said, with a hint of fake smugness for the effect, "and I'm the only thing standing in your way, why haven't you gotten rid of me yet?" The Sith growled and pushed the Doctor back, letting loose a few more powerful strikes. The Doctor deflected with both his saber and shoto, looking the Sith square into his flaring yellow eyes.

"If you're so sure that you've already won this fight, why are you so remarkably livid right now?" the Doctor went on. The proud Sith bared his pointed teeth, forcing the Doctor back a few more steps. Exactly where the Doctor wanted him to stand. The Doctor decided to deliver one last line, a cue for Obi-Wan.

"Furthermore, if you're so certain that your blade has already killed two men, then why are neither of my good friends here dead?" At this, the Sith blinked once in confusion. Which was more than enough time that Obi-Wan needed.

The Padawan jumped up and sent Qui-Gon's lightsaber to his hand. Activating it, he landed behind the Sith Lord and smacked the lightsaber blade right at his belt, cutting him in two. The Sith Lord grunted a little as he was hit, unsure of what had just happened. The Doctor watched as he then tumbled into the melting pit, his body separating into two halves, falling further and further into the melting pit until neither the Doctor nor Obi-Wan could see him anymore.

Obi-Wan and the Doctor deactivated their lightsabers, and the Doctor put his on his belt as Obi-Wan rushed to Qui-Gon's side, cradling his head in his arms. The Doctor knelt beside Qui-Gon as well to give him company in his final moments.

"The boy," said Qui-Gon. "You must...train him." The Doctor was a bit shocked at this proposal of Qui-Gon's. So that was why he had been asking those questions when the Sith and Obi-Wan were fighting.

"Yes, Master," said Obi-Wan, tears already forming in his eyes.

"He..is...the Chosen One," Qui-Gon managed to choke out. "He...will bring...balance." Obi-Wan nodded as his Master spoke his final words.

"Train him."

Qui-Gon Jinn's body went limp, and he was no more. Obi-Wan, not wanted to admit that his Master was dead, looked to the Doctor. The Doctor could only shake his head, put his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder and say,

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I'm so sorry."

"Was there nothing you could do for him, Doctor?" asked Obi-Wan through the tears.

"No," answered the Doctor. "He was already fading by the time we got to him. I'm sorry." Obi-Wan lowered his head, not wanting the Grand Master of the Jedi Order to see him cry over his Master's death.

"How am I supposed to train this Anakin boy?" Obi-Wan asked, still with his head lowered and choked up. "I'm only a Padawan. I haven't been Knighted."

"Not yet, you haven't," said the Doctor. "But remember what I said before we even got here. You may have even been ready for your Trials today. I think enough was proven to me here. I'll make your case to the Council, and you will be a Jedi Knight. I promise."

With that, Obi-Wan nodded again and picked up his Master's body, cradling it in his arms. The Doctor called Qui-Gon's lightsaber to his hand and walked out of the melting pit with Obi-Wan and back to the hangar bay of the Theed Palace. As Obi-Wan carried his Master across the bridges that they had just fought on, the Doctor could see not only the physical weight on Obi-Wan, but the mental weight that was on his mind. Obi-Wan was trying to focus on Anakin, the Doctor could sense, but at the same time, he couldn't help but mourn for Qui-Gon. Then, it occurred to the Doctor; Anakin! How was Qui-Gon's death going to be explained to Anakin, most likely awaiting eagerly for his return? The Doctor tried to think of a way that he could say it to Anakin without gravely upsetting the boy. He could think of none, so he would simply tell him what happened.

As Obi-Wan and the Doctor made their way back into the hangar bay, the Doctor saw that the N-1 fighters had already returned. From the number of fighters that had returned and were not destroyed, the Doctor assumed that the outcome of the battle was in their favor. He eventually found young Anakin sitting in a starfighter, helmet and goggles on as well. Perhaps he just wanted to feel included in what was going on around him, the Doctor figured. But then he saw that some of the pilots looked up at him and smiled. One of the pilots even helped him out of the starfighter and clapped him on the back. The Doctor read the ecstatic pilot's thoughts and saw that it was Anakin who had destroyed the Droid Control Ship. Against all odds, the Trade Federation's entire operation on Naboo had been brought down by a nine-year-old boy.

But from the way Anakin was taking in all of the praise, it seemed that his intentions weren't to take down any kind of operation. He was just that; a nine-year-old boy who accidentally got caught up in the heat of battle. Nevertheless, that only proved Qui-Gon's original hypothesis. There was something special about this boy. The Force was indeed incredibly strong with him, and he did deserve to be trained.

The Doctor looked beside him at Obi-Wan, but he was already ahead of the Doctor, simply walking out of the hangar and the Palace altogether. He was obviously too traumatized to even notice what was going on around him-and for good reason. The Doctor thought it would be best to just let him go for now and talk to Anakin one-on-one.

"Doctor?" asked Anakin when the Doctor reached the boy. "Why did Obi-Wan look so sad? And why was he carrying Master Qui-Gon like that?"

"Anakin," began the Doctor, searching for the words. "There's no easy way to explain this. As you saw, Master Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and I were engaged in a duel with a man belonging to the Order of the Sith Lords. They're a faction of people who use the Force and lightsabers, like Jedi, but they use them for dark and selfish purposes. During the battle, Obi-Wan and I were separated from Qui-Gon as he fought the Sith Lord."

"But that's okay. Master Qui-Gon beat the Sith Lord, right? He was just really tired, so Obi-Wan was carrying him out, right?" Anakin asked, with all of the heart-breaking innocence of a nine-year-old boy. The Doctor's twin hearts themselves felt guilt and pain for the boy.

"Well, not quite," explained the Doctor. "You see, Qui-Gon fought bravely. But he was getting tired, and the Sith Lord was not. Obi-Wan and I were still separated from Qui-Gon, so we couldn't help him. The Sith used Qui-Gon's fatigue to his advantage, and he fatally wounded Qui-Gon."

"Fatally? That means..." Anakin trailed off, not wanting to even acknowledge it.

"I'm so sorry, Anakin," said the Doctor. "There was nothing we could do for him."

A significant part of Anakin's innocent mind was lost as he began to realize that Qui-Gon wasn't coming back. He looked the Doctor straight in the eyes, his face changing from an expression of confusion, to realization, to complete devestation. He lowered his head, quickly wiped his nose with his sleeve and quietly asked,

"Are you going to take me back home then, Doctor? Since I'm never going to be a Jedi."

"No, no. I'm not gonna do that, Anakin," said the Doctor. "I'm going to try to get the Council to let you be trained."

"But who will train me?" asked Anakin.

"It was Qui-Gon's last wish that Obi-Wan train you," answered the Doctor. "I think it's only fair that we go through with that request, don't you think?" Anakin was far from smiling, still upset with the news of Qui-Gon's death. But he raised his head again to meet the Doctor's eyes and could only manage to say, with a hint of hope in his voice,

"Yes, Doctor."

"Good," said the Doctor. "I have to contact the Jedi Council so we can discuss some important matters. Don't wander off, okay?" Anakin nodded, went back to the starfighter, climbed into the cockpit and sat there patiently for the Doctor. The Doctor himself found Queen Amidala speaking to Captain Panaka near a large door that probably served as "the long way" that they took to get to the throne room.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty?" said the Doctor. Amidala faced the Doctor, a strained, yet relieved look on her face.

"Yes, Doctor? Do you need something?" she asked politely.

"Yes. I was wondering if I could contact the Jedi Council. We have a few matters to discuss that can't really wait until I get back to Coruscant."

"Of course, Doctor," she pointed down the hallway, indicating the location of the communications room. "Down there."

The Doctor traversed the hallway, taking in the beautiful architecture of the Theed Royal Palace before finally reaching the communications room. Once there, he keyed in the code to contact Master Windu, who would notify the Council that it was time to discuss the truth.

* * *

**So, I definitely forgot to post this chapter until 11:00 at night. I apologize for that. Anyway, two things. One relates to this chapter, and the other relates to the story as a whole. First, the chapter thing. There will be one "vs." chapter in each of the seven stories. Here, it's "The Doctor vs. the Demon." In Attack of the Clones, it will be "The Doctor vs. the Traitor," wherein he fights Dooku. Each story has one, so I'm just telling you ahead of time because I thought that this little tidbit of information about the story was kind of cool.**

**Relating to the story as a whole, there is one chapter and an epilogue after this chapter is posted, and that will be it for The Phantom Menace. It will soon be time to post Attack of the Clones, which should be quite a fun adventure. It will also be significantly longer, as the Doctor's involvement in AotC will span for much of the film compared to his involvement in TPM. The Clone Wars story is also significantly longer than both TPM and AotC, but that's because there is a lot of stuff towards the end. But that will come much later down the road, so no need to worry about it until then. In any case, that's it for this author's note. Until the next chapter, my friends!**


	9. Master or Apprentice?

Chapter Eight: Master or Apprentice?

The Doctor's call was answered almost immediately by Master Windu. A holographic representation of Mace Windu appeared before the Doctor, the entire figure of the Korun taking on a blue-ish tint. The picture crackled occasionally due to some distant solar radiation interfering with the signal on an almost miniscule scale. The Doctor paid little mind to it and focused on Windu.

"Doctor," said Mace. "I trust the situation has been taken care of?"

"Correctamundo, Macey boy!" exclaimed the Doctor. After reviewing what he had just said, the Doctor added as an afterthought, "Actually, remind me never to say that again, please."

"Duly noted, Doctor," said Mace with a small smile etched on his face.

"Also, before I forget, Master Windu, I need you to assemble the Council right away. Some rather urgent matters have come up and the Council must reach a decision as soon as they are able."

"With all due respect, Doctor," Mace replied to the Doctor's request, "you've been calling the Council together quite frequently under these urgent matters. If you have indeed taken care of the assailant and the Palace has been retrieved, what could possibly be so urgent?"

"The boy," the Doctor simply said.

"I thought we settled that matter," replied Mace.

"So did I," said the Doctor. "Things changed. I'll explain once the Council is in session." The Doctor could very easily tell that Mace wanted to continue questioning about the matter of Anakin and what had caused this change in verdict, but he decided to only comply and ask nothing more.

"Very well, Doctor," Mace said with a nod. "I'll contact you again within the hour."

With that, Mace's hologram faded away into nothing, leaving the Doctor in the empty communications room.

Or, at least, he thought the room was empty. But he could sense a presence within the Force. It was kind and fair, yet young and inexperienced.

Padme Amidala stood in the doorway behind the Doctor, trying to piece together the tail end of the conversation between him and Mace Windu. She approached the Doctor as she spoke.

"The boy you spoke of, Doctor," she asked with a subtle hint of curiosity, "I assume it's Anakin?"

"You have a knack for finding things out, don't you?" asked the Doctor with a grin on his face. Padme smiled in return, but her smile was short lived. It was clear that she was concerned about Anakin, just by overhearing him mentioned in a seemingly urgent conversation.

"Something hasn't happened to him, has it?" Padme asked, her curiosity now evolving into worry.

"No, no, he's fine," said the Doctor. "It's just...Well, you know how he's Force-sensitive. He was brought in for testing, but was denied entry because of his age. Well, recent events might have caused a change in the verdict regarding his future."

"Meaning he still has a chance to become a Jedi," Padme extrapolated. And there it was again. That connection and excitement of Padme's just by the mere mention of Anakin. The Doctor saw it earlier, brushing it off. But now, it was slightly too obvious to ignore.

"Right," said the Doctor. He then turned to Padme, and made just about one of the worst mistakes of his life. In retrospect, it would be a good thing that Padme Amidala had a bit of a rebellious streak.

"Your Majesty, can you promise me something?" he asked.

"What is it, Doctor?" responded Padme.

"If Anakin becomes a Jedi, he must sever all emotional attachments to the outside world. His friends, his mother, even the one he has for you," said the Doctor. "Can you promise me that you'll do the same?" Already an expert in cloaking her innermost thoughts and emotions, Padme's expression did not change at this suggestion. However, her tone was slightly unconvincing as she spoke.

"Emotional attachment?" she rhetorically asked. "I only show concern for him because...I pity him. So far away from his home, amongst strangers, it's a wonder that he hasn't run off in fear by now! I may show concern for him, Doctor, but I would show the same for any of my people, I assure you."

"You do show genuine concern for him," said the Doctor gently, "but your reason for doing so is about as far from platonic as you can get. All I'm asking is if you're willing to let go of that should he become a Jedi."

"Again, there is nothing for me to let go of," Padme pointed out, slightly defiant, but she then grew a bit quieter and admitted, "but if there were something there, yes, I would be willing to let go of that. For the sake of him becoming a Jedi."

"Good," said the Doctor, although he was wary of Padme's true intentions regarding Anakin. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"No. Thank _you_, Doctor." Padme replied, with a gracious nod. She then turned and left the room, in a bit of a distracted daze. She was clearly preoccupied with what the Doctor had brought up in their discussion. The Doctor could sense it from across the Palace where Padme was no doubt sitting on her throne, thinking about what they had said. He couldn't fully assume that what he was seeing was her affections towards Anakin, but he also couldn't allow either of them to take the risk of emotional attachment. The Doctor knew that risk all too well.

_Every Rose has its thorns,_ he thought ruefully as he remembered a young woman from his youth who was violently taken away from him. He thought of her for only a second, however, having already moved his spirit on. He could only hope that Padme would be able to do the same, if his predictions were, in fact, accurate.

An hour passed until the Doctor received a communication from the Jedi Council. Captain Panaka had checked up on him a few times during that period, but other than that, the Doctor had had little interaction with anyone. He mostly just played a fun little strategy game called "scesh" against himself to pass the time. He pressed the blinking button on the console and there appeared eleven Jedi Masters, ready to hear the news of the Sith.

"Hello, everybody!" exclaimed the Doctor. "So nice to see you all." A chorus of "Hello, Doctor"s resounded from the holographic Council in response.

"I believe you have news for us, Doctor?" asked Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"I do, Master Mundi," said the Doctor, suddenly growing very serious. "About the assailant Qui-Gon encountered on Tatooine...I'm afraid that he was right. The Sith survived through the Seventh Battle of Ruusan and into today. The Sith Lord we encountered was a very powerful Zabrak warrior." At this, Master Koth visibly flinched.

"He probably hailed from Iridonia, although the Nightbrother clans of Dathomir might also have been his place of origin," the Doctor continued. "Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and I engaged the Sith in a duel in the Palace, and Master Qui-Gon unfortunately lost his life." The Doctor paused for a moment, memories bubbling to the surface. Even across the galaxy, he could feel the solemnity that radiated throughout the Council. Plo Koon and Saesee Tiin were especially affected by this news, as they both had friendships with the late Master.

"This brings me to my next bit of news," the Doctor said after a moment longer. "Just before Master Qui-Gon died, he gave a last request. Specifically, it was that Obi-Wan train Anakin Skywalker." The Doctor expected an uproar from the Council, but instead, he received some nodding heads of Council members who didn't vote to pass Anakin the first time.

"Perhaps best, it is," said Yaddle, a tiny Jedi Master known for her compassionate spirit and ability to work out conclusions at the same speed as the Doctor himself, "to grant Master Qui-Gon's request." Several more Council members voiced their approval of the idea as well.

"Granting Master Qui-Gon's request is the least we can do," said Adi Gallia.

"He discovered the Sith, and continued strong in his beliefs, even when we were skeptical," said Even Piell.

"Well, Doctor," Ki-Adi-Mundi said, bringing the rest of the approving opinions to silence for a finalization, "it appears that our previous verdict has been revoked-and for good reason. In Qui-Gon's honor, the boy may be trained. However, I assume you have more to tell us, seeing how Obi-Wan is merely a Padawan, certainly not an appropriate position to teach an impressionable young boy."

"What if I told you that it was Obi-Wan who killed the Sith Lord? It was him," said the Doctor. "I believe that puts him in a position to be Knighted, don't you think?"

"You witnessed the Padawan carrying this out, Doctor?" Yarael Poof asked, once the shocked murmurs of the Council died down.

"I did, Master Poof," said the Doctor.

"So then, it's assumed that you also witnessed him fulfilling the requirements of the other Trials, yes?" Depa Billaba commented as well.

"Oh, yes. Qui-Gon was correct when he said Obi-Wan was ready," confirmed the Doctor. In an unspoken agreement, the Council members exchanged many glances and nods with one another, leading up to Mace Windu finally saying,

"It's decided. Upon your return, Doctor, Obi-Wan will be Knighted and he will immediately take Anakin Skywalker as his own Padawan-provided Obi-Wan has consented, of course."

"I believe he is willing to carry out his late Master's final wish," said the Doctor. He meant it, too. Even appearing to them as a holograph, the Council could sense the sincerity in the Doctor's words.

"Very well," said Mace. "Express the Council's condolences to Obi-Wan for the loss of his Master. We will join you for Master Qui-Gon's funeral in a few days along with the newly-elected Chancellor Palpatine." The Doctor nodded his head, unsurprised at this turnout on the part of Palpatine. Palpatine seemed almost destined to win that election, given the invasion of his respective planet.

"Thank you, Masters," said the Doctor solemnly as he cut the link between himself and the Council. He sat on the floor and sighed, exhausted both physically and mentally. He decided to simply meditate for the rest of the day and try to find some peace among this tragic development.

A few days passed from when the Doctor spoke to the Council and when they actually arrived on Naboo for Qui-Gon's funeral. In that time, the Doctor learned that not only had Palpatine won the bid for Chancellor, but he won in a landslide election. It wasn't even a contest.

Nute Gunray and Rune Haako, leading members of the Trade Federation, had been apprehended during the battle. Most of the Naboo Royal Guards walked past their cell and simply smirked at the Neimoidians. The Doctor looked on them with pity. They looked quite miserable, but they had just tried to invade a planet, and that alone was enough to put them behind a ray-shielded cell on Coruscant for a very long time.

The Doctor had decided during his meditation that he wouldn't tell Obi-Wan about his Knighting until after the Council arrived. He was still wary of young Kenobi. Obi-Wan was still fresh from Qui-Gon's death, and the Doctor didn't want to upset him by reminding him of that fact too early. A few days would probably have given him enough time to recover.

Around noontime, the Doctor heard the engines of a star cruiser entering the courtyard outside the castle. The Doctor broke from his conversation with one of the guards to see what was going on. A ship had indeed landed in the middle of the Courtyard, and it bore both Chancellor Palpatine and the Jedi High Council. The Doctor met Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Queen Amidala, and the four of them bowed respectfully to the new Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.

"Congratulations on your election, Chancellor," said the Queen after they had risen. "It truly is a magnificent achievement for you and our people."

"No, no, Your Majesty," said Palpatine graciously. "It is you who should be congratulated. Thanks to you and our brave Jedi Knights, our people are safe once again. And together, we shall bring peace to the Republic."

Both Obi-Wan and the Doctor bowed once more as Palpatine turned to Anakin and said something that should have been simply courteous and kind, but it came off as suspicious.

"And you, young Skywalker," he said. "We will watch your career with great interest." For some reason, this rubbed the Doctor the wrong way, and he felt that Plo Koon and Ki-Adi-Mundi could sense it as well.

_That was...odd_, the Doctor thought to his fellow Councilmen.

_I agree_, thought Plo. _Perhaps we should keep an eye on him_.

_At least for the time being_, thought Ki-Adi-Mundi.

The Doctor then broke away from his mental communication with Plo and Ki-Adi-Mundi to tap Obi-Wan on the shoulder.

"Obi-Wan, may I speak with you in private?" asked the Doctor.

"Of course, Doctor," said Obi-Wan. "Lead the way."

So the Doctor led Obi-Wan to a room with a magnificent view of the waterfalls overlooked by the Palace. It was one of those sights that holographics just couldn't capture. The Doctor stood and looked out that window for some time before Obi-Wan stepped up to join him.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" asked the Doctor.

"I agree, Doctor," said Obi-Wan.

"I haven't seen a sight like this since I was last on Gallifrey," said the Doctor.

"Your home planet, Doctor?" Obi-Wan asked, only having heard stories of the Doctor's origins.

"Yup," said the Doctor, popping the "p." "It was beautiful. Orange skies blazing forth as the twin suns rose high above our heads. Purple meteor showers as the black night sky shrouded Gallifrey in a blanket of warmth and safety." Realizing he wasn't addressing the point, the Doctor found it again and continued. "Do you know why I brought you here, Obi-Wan?"

"I assume you wish to address my Master's last wish for me to train the Skywalker boy. And I also assume you don't agree," Obi-Wan inferred.

"Sort of," said the Doctor. "I spoke with the Council after our duel with the Sith Lord. They agreed that your actions were beyond heroic, and have promoted you to the level of Jedi Knight. They were a bit skeptical about you training Anakin, though." Obi-Wan turned away from the window and walked a few steps away, speaking to the Doctor, and also to himself as he proclaimed,

"I am honored by this promotion, Doctor. But, I gave Qui-Gon my word. With all due respect to the Council, I will train Anakin. Whether they are skeptical or not. And I will train him without the Council's approval, if I must."

"You've got a bit of Qui-Gon's defiance in you; I can sense it clear as day," said the Doctor, turning to face Obi-Wan. "That might actually be good for them. Anyway, in the end, I was able to convince them to let you train him. But only on the grounds that it was Qui-Gon's last wish. Anakin Skywalker will be your apprentice." Obi-Wan silently bowed his head in gratitude to the Doctor, who simply turned back to face out the window, once again in thought. He could only hope that the Council's skepticism was a mere overanalyzation, and nothing substantial.

That night, the funeral for Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was held. In accordance with Jedi tradition, his body was burned in order to fully release his soul to the Force. The fire blazed around his body as the Doctor, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Queen Amidala, Palpatine, the entire High Council, and even the Gungans and R2-D2 watched in solemn silence. The Doctor himself stood with Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Saesee Tiin, and they, like every Jedi in attendance, had their hoods up as a sign of respect. The Doctor watched as Obi-Wan quietly broke the news to Anakin that he would be his Padawan. The Doctor smiled a little, for he knew that Qui-Gon would have been proud of both of them.

"There's no doubt that the mysterious warrior was a Sith Lord," said Mace Windu. The Doctor nodded, and then a small thought prodded at his mind that he had previously overlooked.

"Yes, but there are always two Sith Lords at a time, like Master Koth suggested," responded the Doctor. "No more. No less. A Master and an apprentice." And as the Doctor made this point, both Mace and Plo nodded and dropped the conversation to remain silent for the funeral ceremony. But-if it was any quieter, the Doctor would've missed it-the Doctor heard a quiet but intense thought shot in his general direction,

_So who was destroyed; the Master or the apprentice?_

The Doctor slightly turned his head. And to his surprise, the voice belonged to his fellow Iktotchi colleague, Master Tiin.

_You have a voice now, huh? _the Doctor thought. Master Tiin nodded just slightly as they continued to watch the funeral in silence. Despite the upcoming training of the Skywalker boy and the impending threat of another Sith Lord, the Doctor couldn't and wouldn't focus on these things of the future. He knew the time would come for that. This time, however, was to say a last goodbye to his comrade, fellow Jedi, and friend.

Qui-Gon Jinn would be remembered for his actions and his faith in the will of the Force.

Always.

* * *

**Well, there you have it. The eighth chapter of Star Wars (Starring the Doctor) Episode I. I would be saying my thank-yous and such, but there's an epilogue that needs posting. By the time you've read this author's note, I will probably have already posted the epilogue, so you'll be getting two emails from me today. You lucky ducks, you! Anyway, that's it for this author's note. I'll be doing my thank-yous in the epilogue, so go check that out. Until the epilogue, my friends!**


	10. Peace

Epilogue: Peace

The horns of the Gungan parade marchers blasted throughout the central square in the Naboo capital of Theed. The joy that resonated through the people as they cheered for their new friends, the Gungans, was a beautiful sight to the Doctor. The blast of the horns, as loud as it was, was almost completely masked by the other more joyous sounds of drums, singing and more music, which rang throughout all of Naboo. At last, the Gungans and the Naboo were coming together in peace and harmony, and the parade was an acknowledgement of the newfound friendship.

The streets were packed with people eager to see this historic occasion. Children threw flowers at the oncoming stream of Gungan paraders, led by Boss Nass and the very clumsy Jar Jar Binks, who played a significant part in the Gungan distraction as Acting General. Waiting at the top of the staircase leading to the Palace were Queen Amidala, the Doctor, Obi-Wan, Anakin in newly-minted Jedi Robes, Palpatine, and the entire High Council, along with much of the Royal Security Force.

Boss Nass confidently strolled up the stairs towards Queen Amidala, who was holding a large orb of light, a symbol of peacetime on Naboo. The Doctor watched as Amidala handed the orb to Boss Nass graciously. Boss Nass lifted the orb high above his head and shouted at the top of his lungs,

"PEACE!"

The crowd cheered in delight as peace was once again restored between the Naboo and the Gungans after many years of hostility. The Doctor couldn't help but cheer with them, allowing a bit of the child in him to resurface. He even turned behind him and threw his arm around Mace Windu, attempting to get him excited as well, and was satisfied enough with a smirk in return. Masters Koon, Tiin, and Mundi shook their heads, bemused expressions evident on their faces.

For this one brief moment in time, the Doctor could forget. He could forget about the death that had occurred to make this peace possible. He could forget about the Sith Lord still at large. He could even forget about the War that had torn his planet apart, tearing him apart from his planet in the process.

The Doctor knew that the Sith would make some sort of comeback. He didn't know when or how, but he knew that it was going to happen. However, this was a time for celebration, not being preoccupied with the future, nor the past. For now, the Doctor could live in the moment. For now, the galaxy was at peace. And for now, the Doctor was happy.

* * *

**Short, sweet, and to the point. Just the way I like it. Well, folks, that's it for The Phantom Menace. We've reached the end of this leg of the journey. But it's not finished yet. We've still got five more episodes and the Clone Wars to cover! It's going to be quite a long journey, but, hopefully, a worthwhile one.**

**First up, news. I'll start posting Attack of the Clones sometime in the next week or so, so look out for that. It's ten chapters, plus a prologue and an epilogue that are actually a bit longer than they are here, so that's good. That being said, time for a progress report, I think.**

**I: Finished**

**II: Finished**

**CW: Finished**

**III: In progress**

**IV: Not started**

**V: Not started**

**VI: Not started**

**I'm about four chapters into Revenge of the Sith, which might feel like I have reason to rush it to get it onto the site in time for my semi-regular postings, but I don't actually need to do that. There's a reason why I started posting after I had finished Episode II. It's so that I can write this at my own pace and not feel rushed to write this. If I happen to hit writer's block, which could happen, I'll slow down the postings until I can get a safe number of chapters ahead of the postings. Basically, I'm, like, almost thirty chapters ahead, so I've got plenty of time. No worries.**

**Next up, the thank-yous. I want to thank everyone who followed this story and favorited it. I especially want to thank those of you who left reviews. They were all very kind, and I appreciate them very much. Please continue reviewing at your leisure into Attack of the Clones. It's been fun so far, and hopefully it will get even better as we enter the second volume of the story. Be on the lookout for Star Wars (Starring the Doctor) Episode II: Attack of the Clones. It's quite a doozy. Character development out the wazoo and stuff. Should be good.**

**Until the next volume, my friends!**

**blade0627**


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